My High School Life
by DarkkAngelll
Summary: Koriand'r - or Starfire, Kori; it doesn't matter - is going to start the first day of the rest of her life. High school life, that is. She meets various people along the way. Bits of humor here and there. Pairings are screwed up but when you get to the heart of it, RobStar, Flinx, Hotgent and a whole lot more. T, because I'm paranoid.
1. Waking Up

_EDIT, 8/9/2012: Rewrote the first chapter. Minor changes and more descriptions; nothing that you have to read again._

_A/N: New story! Burst of inspiration. I know you might be all like, 'wait, you have to finish A SLICE OF LIFE first!', but when you're an author, and you get an idea, you just have to stick with it._

_For those of you who don't know, Kori is Starfire. Koma is Blackfire._

_DISCLAIMER: I don't own Teen Titans. I don't. I swear. No matter how much I'd love to, I don't. You've got nothing on me._

* * *

><p>Kori Anders was dreaming. She smiled subconsciously.<p>

"Wake up, little girl," Koma said, rather impatiently. When her sister refused to awake, she resorted to crueler methods. With a deep breath, she screamed, "_Get up, you lazy-_"

"I'm awake, I'm awake!" cried Koriand'r, glaring at her sister. "You wouldn't want to be late for your first day of school, wouldn't you, Koriand'r?" teased Komand'r. "Not after you dragged us all here to attend Earth school."

Koriand'r dragged herself out of bed carelessly, occasionally glowering her sister down. As soon as Komand'r shut the door and walked down the stairs, Kori allowed herself to release a scream of tension.

She hopped off the circular bed, messily tossing her white pillows to one side of the bed. Her bare feet made shuffling noises as they maneuvered across the carpeted floor.

She frantically opened her dresser, pulling out clothes until she found the perfect ensemble. Kori decided on her faded skinny jeans, a white graphic-print t-shirt with a huge pink heart in the middle, and her old canvas sneakers. She pulled her auburn hair back in a neat ponytail. Her emerald eyes blinked as she put on her plastic watch in front of the mirror.

After she deemed herself presentable, Kori headed out of her room and down to the kitchen for a quick breakfast.

* * *

><p>She stepped into the kitchen. The walls were painted a cheery yellow, and the cabinets were paneled with oak. The floor was tiled white, making for a cozy atmosphere.<p>

"A morning that is good to you, mother; father!"

"It's 'good morning', honey," chided Myan, her father, chuckling as he read the newspaper. "And good morning to you too, dear," called out her mother, Luan, as she fried eggs and bacon, basking in the morning sun.

"I hope you don't expect me to wake you up _every day_, Star," Koma said nonchalantly, sipping a mug of hot chocolate. "Because I don't know how I put up with you."

Kori threw her hands up in the air; the universal sign of defeat. As she plopped down on one of the black metal chairs around the circular wooden table, she sighed. "You are most impossible, sister Koma!"

Kori, backpack slung on one shoulder, started walking down the asphalt sidewalk, on her way to her new school.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Kindly review! They're my bread and water on Fanfiction. I feed off of your reviews. (:_


	2. On My Way to School

_A/N: My warmest 'thank you's to the lovely FrivolousFlare, SarahARivera, and teentitansluver. A big thanks to those who also put this story on alert and on their favorites list. Love you guys!_  
><em>Oh, and to avoid any more confusion, they have powers. But are living under civilian names. Yeah.<em>

_Okay, there's a really long ramble at the bottom which won't make sense until you read the story. So, please do!_

_DISCLAIMER: I don't own Teen Titans. Sue me for eating your cake (oops), but you've got nothing on me for copyright infringement._

_**This one's been kinda short, but don't fret! It gets longer, I swear!**  
><em>

* * *

><p>As Koriand'r walked to her new school, she suddenly remembered a suggestion given by her father. Passing by quaint little houses of every color, and lush green foliage, she reached a lonely alley. When she was sure no one could see her, she let herself go. Her eyes flashed green, and from her hands emitted a green light.<p>

She tried hitting a garbage can. Dead on. _That is sufficient_, thought Koriand'r, pleased with herself. She knew that the school she would be attending had a..._special_ class, for 'gifted' people, like her.

She walked out of the alley and continued her walk. She could already see the school, a speck in the distance. Couples walked by, hand-in-hand. Groups of girls strolled past, gossiping about anything and everything. A rather handsome young man approached Koriand'r on a bike, slowing down, and eventually stopping beside her.

"Hey. You going to school?" he asked casually. She nodded. "Want a lift?" he said, patting the empty stool behind him.

When Koriand'r got on the seat, the boy flashed a grin. "Roy Harper. And you are...?"

"Kori Anders," she replied demurely, playing with her hair. Roy grinned. "Well, then hold on tight, Kori - it's going to be a bumpy ride!"

* * *

><p>As they arrived at the school front, Roy got off the bike quickly to assist his new friend.<p>

Guys were looking at Kori, making comments under their breath - some of them winking, others, just staring. Kori felt quite uncomfortable, making Roy instinctively pull her closer.

A well built guy, slightly taller than Kori, grinned and walked up to Roy. "Hey, Roy!" he called out, patting the redhead on the back. He noticed the pretty girl standing shyly next to Roy. "Who's the girl?"

"Oh, real smooth, Dick. Real smooth."

'Dick' ignored the comment and flashed his best smile at the girl. "Richard Grayson. Call me Dick," he said, hand outstretched.

Kori smiled brightly. "Kori Anders."

Dick found himself staring and then mentally slapped himself.

"Uh, see you around, Kori," he called out, blushing as he ran inside the building.

* * *

><p>As soon as he was sure she wasn't there, he leaned against the wall, trying to hide his blush. <em>What a smile. She could light up the room, no problem. And those eyes...<em>

His own eyes widened in disbelief. Was he...was he already _in love_ with this girl?

Oh no. He shook his head, walking away briskly.

"Hey, honey," called out a petite blonde girl, greeting him with her arms around his neck, a kiss planted on his lips.

Breaking away from the kiss, he tried to smile at her. "Hi, Tara."

* * *

><p><em>AN: DON'T SHOOT! *ducks behind a tree* Please don't kill me for pairing Robin up with - well, for those of you who do know who Tara is, please don't kill me. Please. *whimper*_  
><em>And to those of you who do not know who Tara is, go look it up. Just kidding. It's - *deep breath* - TerraOHMIGOSHPLEASEDON'TKILLME!<br>Listen to reason before you break out the flamethrowers, please? I'd rather pair up Robin with her than use an OC (which I don't even have because I am far to lazy to create one) or another Titan. I mean, who else could it be? My pairings are strictly BBRae, RobStar, Flinx, CyBee, JeriKole, and Hotgent. That pretty much leaves all guys, and I am so not into slash. (Don't get me wrong, I'm all for experimentation, but Robin is strictly Starfire. No other.)_


	3. Meet And Greet

**A/N: At last! I have returned, and I have updates with me! Sorry for the super late update, but, what the hey. At least you have your new chapter now. Enjoy!**

**DISCLAIMER: Disclaimed.**

* * *

><p>Raven Roth, resident empath.<p>

Garfield Logan, local changeling.

Victor Stone, half-human, half-robot.

Roy Harper, archer.

Richard Grayson, Boy Wonder.

Kori Anders, the new girl in town who is frantically trying to keep everyone's names straight.

Kori was now walking in a group with her new friends. They fell in line behind a sea of other teenagers, none of them familiar to Kori.

Taking their seats at the front of the room, Richard and Roy raced each other to either side of Kori.

"Good morning, my little duckies," greeted a man with red hair, rectangular glasses and a _really_ thick British accent. "The name's Richards. Neil Richards."

"And I," Mr. Richards plopped a pile of papers onto the desk of the nearest student - who happened to be Raven - "shall be your homeroom teacher for the rest of the year."

The man eyed the classroom for a second before tapping his cane and pointing it at Garfield. "You there, sonny - care to start our little meet-and-greet?"

Garfield's ears drooped, and he stood up rather shyly. "Uh, hey." He cleared his throat nervously. "I'm Garfield Logan, but you can just call me Gar. Because I don't really want to be associated with a fat cat." Quiet murmurs, a few smiles were cracked. "Anyway, I'm a shape shifter." Gar turned into a dog, then a cat, and lastly, a cow, before shifting back into human form.

"I like eating tofu - I'm a vegetarian, for your information. I like making my friends laugh. My parents always _did_ call me a clown."

He took his seat and slapped Victor on the back. Victor, in turn, glared at him and stood up. "I'm Victor Stone. Just call me Vic. As you can see, I'm part-robot. I'm an avid fan of meat. My parents work at STAR Labs, and I do part-time there," he said, trying to get this done as soon as possible. "I like playing football, too."

He took his seat and glanced at Roy, as there was no one else next to him. Roy stood up and grinned. "My name is Roy Harper, archer extraordinaire. I was born to a Navajo medicine chief, and now, I'm heir to the fortune of my foster father," he folded his arms smugly, clearly proud of his adoptive family, "the one and only Oliver Queen."

Eyes widened, whispers of amazement and envious stares filled the room. Roy sat down, satisfied. Richard grinned and stood up, taking this as a challenge.

He removed his sunglasses, revealing a pair of blue eyes. "Hey. I'm Richard Grayson. Call me Dick, please. I'm a martial artist, weapons expert, and I, like my friend Roy here, am heir to a fortune." Dick grinned. "I'm the charge of Bruce Wayne, head of Wayne Enterprises; philanthropist, industrialist."

More stares and frantic murmurs from the class. Dick sat down, pleased with his work.

Kori flashed a smile. "I am Kori Anders, from the country of Russia. My parents are partners in business. I have a sister, Koma Anders, who is also enrolled here." Her hands glowed a blinding green. "I have the ability to shoot starbolts from my hands, and - what is the term, super strength, was it? Flight is also a skill of mine, as is linguistic assimilation." Mr. Richards cocked an eyebrow. Kori flushed red and sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck. "It is the ability to gain any language by a kiss."

Next was Raven, who, engrossed with her novel, was clearly unhappy to put it down for a meet-and-greet session with her class. "Raven Roth. Empathy, Astral projection, Teleportation, Flight, Levitation. I find no need to tell you the rest." She sent cold stares in all directions. She firmly sat down on her seat and dove back into her book.

A redheaded boy with blue eyes that danced stood up with a grin. "The name's Wally West. Speedster. I have to constantly eat so I don't waste away. My favorite colors are red and yellow. My uncle is Barry Allen, the police scientist."

The girl sitting next to him smiled and stood up, her black hair bouncing from the movement. "I'm Jade Nguyen, from Vietnam. My father is French; my mom is the Vietnamese," she said, her green eyes lighting up. "Do you see these claws of mine?" Jade snatched a piece of paper from her bag and shredded it with a single swipe, to the awe (and fright) of her classmates. "Not only are they sharp - these claws are poisoned." She sheathed her claws and folded her arms smugly. "Also, I'm a pretty damn lethal martial artist."

A girl with pink hair stood up. "Jennifer Hex. I go by Jenn," The girl grinned, a mischievous look on her face. "Martial artist, acrobat. Powers? Probability manipulation."

"In English, please?" called out Wally, a teasing grin on his face.

Jenn smirked. "Would you care to stand up so I can _show_ you, Mr. West?"

The boy stood up, a vague look on his face. Jenn's hands lit up and glowed pink. No less than five seconds later, the fluorescent light above Wally blew up, sparks of electricity raining down on him. Shielding himself, he sat down, only for his chair to fall apart, causing the class to break out in laughter. Even Mr. Richards was sporting a grin of amusement.

"Need I explain more?"

"You've got spunk. I like that."

Jenn's catlike eyes narrowed. "Watch it, West. I've got more of where _that_ came from."

"Gotcha," Wally conceded, a boyish grin on his face.

"Alright, duckies - if you're just about done, we'll move on to the next pers-" Mr. Richards trailed off, scrambling for something in his pocket. He pulled out a cellphone. The man put it to his ear, seeming to forget that he still has a class to conduct. "'ello? Yes, this is Moddie. No, I don't know what you're talking about. WHAT! What do you mean, my dog was run over by a truck? Who was it?"

He walked out of the door, still screaming at the phone, and he slammed the door.

Gar coughed awkwardly. He and the rest of the people in the front row exchanged glances.

"So..."

"So...this is awkward," Wally declared, rubbing the back of his neck.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: As far as I know, the backgrounds are correct. So, what did you guys think? Of course, the meet-and-greet is not over, as Mr. Richards will come back and proceed to let the other Titans-who-are-suddenly-high-school-students introduce themselves.**

**In case you didn't get it, Mr. Richards is Mad Mod. Also, if you're wondering what the papers on Raven's desk are, well...we can get to that perhaps in the next chapter.  
><strong>

**Review, please? :)  
><strong>


	4. Meet And Greet, Part 2

**A/N: Humongous thanks to anon, kikigirl4321, KoriXXXXXRichard, and robstarfan723, for reviewing chapter 3, and to Concolor44 and Kit-the-Kitty, for reviewing chapter 2! You guys rock!**

**WARNING: Lots of Spanish. You might have to frequent the author's notes below if you don't get the gist of what Mas and Menos are saying. O^O  
>And before anyone asks, I've got no idea why Kitten is there, either.<br>**

**DISCLAIMER: Disclaimed.**

* * *

><p>Much to everyone's relief, Mr. Richards walked back in, snapping his cellphone shut. "Sorry about that, duckies. Now, where were we?"<p>

A silver-skinned girl stood up and smiled. "I believe it's my turn, sir," she said, her smooth accent impressing the class.

"'Ello, loves, the name is Antonia Louise Monetti. I go by Toni, mind you." Her hands were surrounded by a red glow, and she grinned. "See this?" Toni used the substance to form a makeshift hammer. "This is plasma. Can turn into most anything, loves."

She sat down, and slapped the shoulder of her seatmate. "Go for it, mate," she hissed with a grin.

"Er, hi. I'm Isaiah Crockett. Pyrokinetic." Mr. Richards, by habit, cocked an eyebrow again. Isaiah sighed. "The name coined by horror novelist Stephen King for people with the ability to create or to control fire with the mind," he recited, as though he was reading it straight out of the dictionary.

To demonstrate, he 'powered up', his body turning red, emitting heat, much to the distaste of his seatmates. He quickly turned off his powers and sat down. "Blimey, love," Argent commended. "You do know your stuff."

Isaiah simply shrugged. A fair-skinned teen stood up, his black hair long and sleek. "The name's Garth," the boy said, folding his arms. He glared at Mr. Richards, who, quite predictably, was raising an eyebrow."I don't know my last name," he admitted. The teacher's gaze softened for a fleeting moment. Mr. Richards nodded, urging Garth to continue.

"In contrast to Isaiah here," he put a hand on his seatmate's shoulder, "I have hydrokinesis." Garth raised a hand. "Before you ask, it's the ability to control water. Telepathic control of sea life is another skill of mine. I'm sort of touchy about fish, and I hate it when people eat them," he confessed sheepishly.

"_Saludos__ a todos_!" called out two young boys, probably no younger than twelve.

Roy raised a hand. "Excuse me, how are these two in _high_ school?"

"It's a special class," Mr. Richards told him disapprovingly. "For _all_ people like you."

Roy wasn't sure, but he thought he heard the teacher muttering, "It's just a dandy crazy coincidence a lot of you youngins are high schoolers."

"Mi nombre es Mas," one boy missing a tooth said. "...y mi nombre es Menos!" finished the other boy.

"¡Más y Menos, sí podemos!" the pair cried, running around the room, causing slight havoc. For their own amusement, it seemed, they stopped in front of Wally and stuck their tongues out. After that, they stopped by Kori's table. "_Ella es una mujer __hermosa__, ¿verdad?_" One of the twins, Mas (or is it Menos?) asked. "_Si, si! __Kori__es muy hermoso__!_" Menos (or is it Mas?) agreed.

"Um, thank you?" Kori said politely, trying to understand what they were saying. Rachel tapped her shoulder. "Kori," she began, putting down her book. "Didn't you say you have language assimilation?"

"Oh, yes!" Kori exclaimed, a guilty look on her face. "I almost forgot."

Much to the horror of Richard and Roy, Kori delivered a quick peck on the lips to Mas.

"_Gracias __por permitirme __darte un beso__,_" Kori said, now speaking in fluid Spanish.

Mas, still dizzy from the kiss, nodded dreamily. "_No es __un problema, __bella dama__._"

Menos hit his brother on the head. "_¿Por qué eres__el único que__se__besó__por Kori__?_" he cried, clearly jealous.

Mas, in return, stuck his tongue out.

Richard and Roy were muttering unhappily about how they should have known how to speak Spanish.

"Alright, duckies," Mr. Richards said loudly, hoping to break up the commotion. "It's time for the next person. And do hurry up; we've only fifteen minutes left!" he added, tapping his cane.

A girl with brown hair stood up next. "Hey there, y'all! I'm Karen Beecher, aspiring scientist." she shrunk to a fraction of her usual size, and back. "As you just saw, I can shrink. Also, I can unleash electrical stings. Just like a bee," she added with a smirk. A few people laughed, getting the pun.

A blonde girl, sitting right behind Richard, stood up with a bright smile. "Hi! I'm Tara Markov, Geokinetic. I-I haven't really gotten control of my powers yet," she admitted shamefully. Suddenly, she brightened up. "But I'm working on that! Anyway...I love reading comics, and I'm a huge fan of rock music."

She smiled at Richard and Richard smiled back, rather uneasily on his part.

Another blonde girl, her face smug, stood up confidently. Kori's stomach churned; she didn't like this girl. "Like, hi, peeps. I'm Kathryn Walker, daughter of Drury Walker." When the name didn't seem to click, Kathryn felt a vein pop. "What, you've never heard of me?" she sneered, looking down on all of them. "Whatevs. All that you should know is I _always_ get my way. I, like Richie-poo over there-" Richard turned green, trying not to puke. "-have no powers, but am highly skilled at martial arts-" Gar tried hard not to snort. "-and have an arsenal of weapons at my disposal."

Mr. Richards nodded slowly, assessing the girl's credibility. He decided she had none.

"Hello, everyone!" A petite girl stood up, her pink hair tossed over one shoulder. "I'm Kole Weathers, and I understand sign language. I can transform into crystal. Of course, I need someone to be using me," she said. "Recently, I've developed the ability to control and create crystal. Watch!"

Kole outstretched her arms, and started spinning around. Much to the awe of her classmates, crystal manifested and fell down, like snow during winter. She slowed down and eventually the crystal stopped falling. Kole smiled and took her seat.

The boy next to her, a blonde boy, scribbled something on a piece of paper. She nodded and gave the boy a little thumbs-up sign. He stood up rather shyly and started using sign language. Kole stood up as well and started translating. "_My name is Joseph Wilson. I have two siblings, and my sister, Rose, is seated next to me. My older brother, Grant, is in college._" Joseph stopped for a moment before signing rapid-fire. "_As you can tell, I'm mute. Don't worry, I'm not deaf, and I can understand all of you perfectly well. Call me Joey, if you like. I don't really care._"

When Kole finished the translation, Joseph started signing again. "_I possess the ability to gain control over any individual's body if I can make eye contact with them._" As an example, Joseph made eye contact with the person seated in front of him - who happened to be Wally - and Wally's blue eyes turned green, while Joseph's own body became limp and lifeless. "Thank you, Kole, for translating on my behalf."

Everyone looked at Wally - or rather, Joseph - in shock. "What?" he said, confused. "Oh, is it my ability to speak? Wally has functioning vocal cords, so I can use that," he offered with a shrug.

Joseph's soul self parted with Wally's body and returned to his own.

Mr. Richards nodded and turned his attention to the clock. "You," he called out to the girl seated next to Jericho. "Please make it quick. You're the last person, am I right?" The girl nodded, and stood up hesitantly. "M-My name is Rose Wilson, as my older brother Joey here mentioned. I'm a hand-to-hand combat specialist-" she glanced at Mr. Richards, who, much to her relief, wasn't raising an eyebrow "-I can see into the future, and I've speed and agility."

Their homeroom teacher nodded.

"Since it's your first day, and we've finished earlier than I anticipated, feel free to get acquainted with each other."

He turned to Raven. "Miss Roth, kindly pass them around during lunch time."

Raven rolled her eyes and nodded with little interest, eager to get back to her book.

* * *

><p>Richard grinned at the people in the back row. "Hey."<p>

"Hey yourself," Toni said casually.

"So, do you guys want to eat lunch together later?" Garth offered, smiling politely.

"Oh, yes!" Kori exclaimed cheerfully.

"As long as I'm with Dick, I don't mind," Tara purred, Dick tugging at his collar and turning red.

"Oh, get a room," Jen exclaimed, grinning cheekily.

"We have a right!" Dick shot back, laughing.

"Did you hear that, Jenny?" Wally said suggestively. "We don't need a room!"

Jen's grin faded, and her hands glowed pink. "You want a replay of earlier, West?"

"No, ma'am," he said, feeling small. The others laughed and resumed their merry conversation.

"_¿Qué es lo igual que en Guatemala?_" Kori was conversing with the twins.

"_Bueno, pero es demasiado lento para nosotros!,_" Menos joked, grinning with his brother. Kori giggled, and they continued their conversation.

"How do you do it, man?" Vic was questioning the properties of Isaiah's powers.

He shrugged. "I don't know, I'm not a scientist."

"But _you_ are the one who should know."

"I just do, man. I don't really think about it that much."

The bell rang, and Mr. Richards jolted awake.

"Huh? Oh, right, duckies. Go on, go to your next classes...Moddie will be sleeping first..." On that note, he went back into slumber, snoring.

The class erupted in laughter, still snickering as they filed out of the classroom.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: First things first. Translation time! Sorry if the Spanish sucks - as usual, I was using Google Translate. If any of you know Spanish and would like to translate properly, knock yourselves out. XD**

**Saludos a todos! - Greetings, everyone!  
>Mi nombre es Mas, y mi nombre es Menos! - My name is Mas, and my name is Menos!<br>Mas y Menos, si podemos! - Mas and Menos, yes we can!  
>Ella es una mujer hermosa, ¿verdad? - She is a beautiful woman, is she not?<br>Si, si! Kori es muy hermoso! - Yes, yes! Kori is very beautiful!  
>Gracias por permitirme darte un beso - Thank you for letting me kiss you<br>No es un problema, bella dama - Not a problem, pretty lady  
>¿Por qué eres el único que es besada por Kori? - Why are you the only one who is kissed by Kori?<br>¿Qué es lo igual que en Guatemala? - What is it like in Guatemala?  
>Bueno, pero es demasiado lento para nosotros! - Good, but it is too slow for us!<br>**

**Whew, that's a lot of Spanish.  
><strong>

**Ooh, there are already a lot of aspiring romances! Muahaha. DarkkAngelll here, at your service, to torture the Teen Titans. I like the sound of that. :D  
><strong>

**Review, please?  
><strong>


	5. Finally, Some Action

**A/N: Voila! Your next chapter! Many thanks to Starfan16, Amazing girl, teentitansluver, Concolor44, Kit-the-Kitty, and anon for reviewing chapter 4. You guys rock!**

**Finally, we've got a bit of action. No more meet-and-greet, no siree. Well, for now, anyway...**

**DISCLAIMER: Disclaimed.**

* * *

><p>The halls of Jump City High were filled with students, going in pairs, groups and couples. Raven tried her hardest to tune them all out, choosing to focus on her book.<p>

Of course, it would be easier if that green little snot didn't keep poking her in the side.

"Would you _please_ stop poking me?" Raven hissed, turning around to face him.

"But _Rae_, you were ignoring me!" Gar grinned cheekily. "Such an act of offensiveness shall not go unpunished!" And with that, he resumed his mindless poking.

The empath felt a vein pop, but she just heaved a sigh and immersed herself once more in her book.

_Do_ not _think about him, Raven. Don't you _dare_ think about how cute he is, or how handsome he is, or how you dig his ears..._

Raven smacked herself in the forehead. Gar stopped for a moment and regarded her with concern.

"You okay, Rae?"

"I will be when you stop calling me that vulgar nickname," she spat, glaring at him spitefully.

Gar shrugged, and he started poking her again.

* * *

><p>"Please, what is your next subject, Tara?"<p>

Tara smiled at her politely and she reached for her copy of the schedule. "Seems that I've got art with Ma'am De Mille."

"And what is yours, Dick?"

Richard grinned. "I've got Science with you, Kori - lucky me," he added with a wink.

Kori giggled and Tara rolled her eyes playfully.

"Have you encountered this Dr. Jones before?" Kori asked, furrowing her eyebrows. Richard moved his head in affirmation. He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by another boy.

"He's crap, sweetheart." The boy gave a wicked grin and stepped closer to Kori. "Just like the rest of the teachers in this dump."

Kori gulped, nodding her head. "T-That is not true for all of us; I for one f-find school most enjoyable."

"Jason Todd," he said, extending his hand. Immediately Kori brightened and she grinned at him.

"Kori Anders," she replied, taking his hand and shaking it.

"Listen, babe - Kori, I like you. You're a real cutie." He lifted Kori's chin with his finger, so she would look at him in the eye. "What'd you say if I offered you a real good time with me, let's ditch these losers..."

"Hey!" Tara roughly shoved him aside. There was a sickening thud as Jason's head collided with the lockers. She stepped in front of Kori defensively, gearing up for a fight.

"WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT FOR, YOU SKINNY BITCH?" Jason roared, blood trickling from his lower lip. He turned to Kori. "_Are these the kind of losers you want to be with_?"

"Fuck off," Richard hissed, stepping up to him.

"Cutie over there can decide what she wants to do, Grayson."

"_Stop it!_" Kori yelled, stepping in front of the two boys. Silence was cast upon the group, and Kori willed herself to continue. She faced Jason and smiled courteously. "Thank you for your offer, Jason, but I will have to take the raincheck on that. I have plans with my friends -" she gestured to Dick and Tara "-sadly, they do not include you."

Jason smirked, and he wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his jacket. "I'll follow you up on that raincheck, cutie." He glared at Dick and gave him the classic, "_you're dead_" sign; a finger moving across his throat.

Kori felt the tension from her body being released, and the atmosphere was instantly lighter, as though nothing had happened. Tara shook her head in disgust, placing a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder. "That was a close call. If I were you, Kori, I'd stay away from scum like him."

"Are you alright, Kori?" Karen said, stepping closer. "That was a nasty encounter." Kori nodded her head, embarrassed that people had actually seen their scuffle. "Jason is part of the bad crowd in this school." She glanced at Kori before turning to leave. "Just be sure to stay away from him and that ex of his."

The bell gave a shrill ring, and Kori hugged Tara. "Thank you," she whispered, before joining Dick, and walking to the science laboratory at the end of the hall.

Tara frowned. "Should I be worried...?"

She swung open the door to the art room, and she placed her sketchpad and pencils on her desk. "Nah. Kori's just friendly..." She stared out the window contemplatively. "...right?"

* * *

><p>"On your marks..."<p>

Victor and Roy grinned at each other, nodding. _May the best man win_.

"Get set..."

Isaiah and Wally glanced at each other knowingly. _Nothing personal_.

Their gym coach, Mr. Hallam, blew the whistle. "GO!"

A less than human battle cry was screamed, and Victor snatched the ball, leaving Roy to grasp at empty air. "I'm open!" Wally mouthed, waving his outstretched hands.

Doing a couple of fancy dribbles and a quick spin for show, he passed the ball to Wally, who quickly weaved around the opponents, and he shot the ball upwards. By a miracle, the ball swished through the ring and Mr. Hallam blew his whistle once more.

"First to get 5 points wins. Break!"

Wally grinned at Jen from the other side of the court. She rolled her eyes, but he could swear there was a fraction of a smile on her face. She delivered a powerful serve, dashing back to her original position. Wally stood there, drinking his water; watching her, mostly. "She is amazing."

"No using superspeed, damn it!" Roy called out, playfully punching Wally in the back. Wally nearly spit out his drink, but he forced himself to swallow. He turned around and mock-glared at Roy. "Don't ever sneak up on me while I'm drinking. Someone's going to get killed one day!"

"And your point is...?"

Wally punched Roy in the stomach, rolling his blue eyes. "You sadist."

"So, what's the deal with you and Jen?"

Wally smiled wistfully, taking a seat with a good view of the girls playing volleyball. "She seems nice..."

"You like her, don't you?" Roy said, taking a spot next to Wally.

"Maybe I do..."

"How about that Kori girl, eh?" Roy grinned deviously. "I'd love to get _her_ in bed."

Wally shook his head. "_That_ crap again? If you're looking for another one-night stand, you'd be better off talking to Kathryn."

Roy rolled his eyes. "Roy Harper doesn't take sloppy seconds, especially if they're his own, Wally."

"Should've known you'd hit her already. First on the list?"

"First choice," Roy said with a laugh.

Wally groaned playfully. "Why am I friends with you again?"

"I'm awesome and you know it," Roy said, sticking out his tongue.

* * *

><p>Kori and Richard were standing by their lockers, sorting through books, term papers and essays.<p>

"Would you like to come over to my house after school, Richard?"

Richard turned red at that. _A date?_ Kori stared at him curiously as she slammed her locker door. "Ah...of course, Kori! I'd love to."

Kori beamed and clasped her hands. "Splendid!"

Tara emerged from the sea of exiting students, waving her hand happily at them. She kissed Richard on the cheek. "How was chem lab, babe?"

Richard shrugged. "Boring, as usual. Dr. Jones was being an ass."

Tara laughed. "If there's one thing you can count on in this world, it's that all the teachers here are asses."

Richard nodded in mock-solemnity. "True, true."

The school's public address system crackled to life, and all the students dropped whatever they were doing.

_Will Tara Markov, Richard Grayson, Kori Anders, Jason Todd, and Karen Beecher please report to the principal's office? I repeat, will Tara Markov, Richard Grayson, Kori Anders, Jason Todd, and Karen Beecher please report to the principal's office?_

The crackling noise stopped and the student body spoke in low whispers, some of them pointing and staring at the three teens. Tara grabbed Richard and Kori by the wrists, leading them away from the crowd. "Do you think this is about earlier?" she hissed, worried.

Kori tapped her chin in thought. "Obviously, but why is Karen involved?"

"Witness, probably," Richard supplied, scowling.

Tara groaned. "I don't need another blemish on my report card."

"Don't worry, babe," Richard said with a lopsided grin. "You've still got me."

Tara laughed at that and pecked him on the lips. "You're sweet."

Kori coughed slightly, embarrassed. "What was it called here? No PDA?"

Richard laughed sheepishly. "Public Displays of Affection, Kor."

Kori nodded, giggling. "I see. No PDA, please."

"Gotcha," Tara said with a wink. She glanced over her shoulder. "We'd better get a move on and see what the principal wants."

Richard moaned. "You just _had_ to remind me, didn't you, babe?"

"My fabulous memory doesn't let me forget, Dick," Tara replied teasingly.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hmmm. So? What did you guys think? I'm trying not to get all cliche and have Kathryn go and try to steal Dick on the first day. Also, if you've noticed, Richard is a more common name. Besides, Dick is more of a friend thing. Richard is actually more proper, hence Kori's usage.**

**Next chapter: Trip to the Principal's Office**

**Chapter after that: The Not-A-Date Date**

**Review, please! :D  
><strong>


	6. A Hectic Lunch Period

_A/N: Your next chapter, ladies and gentlemen! Many thanks to robstarfan723, Breeluv, archsage328, SilyStar1, anon, EnchantedTopazCrystalline, and alice, for reviewing. You guys are amazing! Virtual panda cupcakes for everyone! :D_

_DISCLAIMER: I don't own either the Teen Titans nor Youtube. (Aww...)_

* * *

><p>"Yo, Dick!"<p>

Richard turned around and grinned.

"Wally! Roy! Garth! 'Sup?"

Wally raced over and slapped him one on the back. "Heard you got principal's office."

Tara nodded solemnly, and Roy rolled his eyes. "Old Man Wilson's gotten cranky in that age of his. Can't even take a tiny fight in his halls."

Kori stood there awkwardly, before taking a step back and then to the left. "I-I shall be going now," she declared, ignoring the group's calls for her.

* * *

><p>Kori walked briskly away from the crowd. "I suppose everyone knows each other in this school," she said to herself, feeling sad. "I am just an outsider, trying to break into their circle of friends."<p>

She stopped short. How was she supposed to find the Principal's office? Hesitantly, she looked around for any signs indicating her whereabouts.

"Lost, Kori?"

Kori's heart very nearly stopped. "J-Jason," she breathed.

"In the flesh," Jason said, smirking.

"What do you want?" Kori asked, fighting the nervous tingle creeping up her back.

"You," Jason hissed, cornering Kori by the lockers.

If she wasn't so scared, Kori would have rolled her eyes. How cheesy. But when you're dealing with a guy that nearly everyone labeled 'scum', on the first day alone, you kind of know he's not trying to be cheesy.

"H-How would that happen?"

"Why, do you have your eyes on Grayson over there?" Jason taunted, his breath warm on Kori's cheeks. "Newsflash, cutie: he's got that Tara bitch."

Kori instantly shoved him, eyes full of rage. "_Don't you dare call Tara a bitch!_"

Jason was laughing on the floor, dusting himself off. "Feisty. I like that."

He stood back up and pinned Kori on the ground, producing a red x from his pocket. "Now, can I take that raincheck of yours?"

* * *

><p>"<em>Don't you dare call Tara a bitch!<em>"

Richard blinked. "Kori?"

Tara furrowed her brows. "Who was calling me a bitch?"

"Kori!" Richard exclaimed, running full speed towards the corridors.

Tara creased her brows even further, scrunching her nose. "Kori wouldn't call me a bitch."

Wally rolled his eyes. "He means Kori was the one telling...whoever it was...not to _call_ you a bitch."

"Oh, I get it."

Roy started walking towards the direction Richard dashed off to. "Can we just go help her out now?"

Tara blinked, and smiled sheepishly. "Oh, yeah, right."

Wally grinned. "I love playing the hero."

* * *

><p>Kori cowered under his strong hold. "This will only take a minute, cutie," Jason hissed, pulling up her shirt. "And you'll find I'm <em>much<em> better than that Grayson jerk."

Kori growled, and a blast of powerful energy shot from her eyes. She stood up, floating as she looked down on Jason. _Quite curious_, she thought. _How was I unable to do that before? _"Do not ever dare mock Richard. He is better than you, any day," she snarled. If it wasn't beneath her, she would have considered spitting at him.

Heavy footsteps slapped on the tiles of the hallway, and Kori floated over to the corridor to inspect who it was. Richard ran into her, and they both fell onto the ground, Richard pinning Kori. "I heard your scream. Who was calling Tara a bitch?" he added with a lopsided grin.

Kori blushed and returned his gesture with a smile. "Just Jason."

Richard turned grim, but smiled again. "Jason."

"Well, look what we have here," Wally teased, stopping by the wall. Richard suddenly realized his, uh, compromising position, and rolled off of Kori carefully.

"Sorry," he whispered, helping her up. Kori shook her head.

"It is alright, Richard."

Roy sighed. "Where's a camera when you need one?"

"Right here," Tara called out, giggling as she turned her camera-phone so everyone could see it.

Richard just about fainted. "Betrayed, and by my own girlfriend!"

Tara laughed. "Just a bit of blackmail, babe."

"Well, I suppose you may bask in your moment of triumph."

The group immediately looked up and rearranged themselves into a line; Jason's groaning from the locker area being the only sound left.

Mr. Wilson's features seemed to be etched in a permanent scowl, wrinkles decorating his skin. The eye patch covering his left eye due to a most unfortunate accident, details undisclosed, did not make him look weak or pitiful. If anything, it made him look even more intimidating.

"Seeing as you can't get into deeper trouble than this."

Wisps of his white hair stopped just above his eyebrows, and he walked past each of the five, glaring them all down.

"Anders, Grayson, Markov - stay. West, Harper - excused," he said, speaking in his impossibly calm voice. It drove Richard on end, endlessly haunting him. He hated their principal with a passion.

"I suppose you know why I've called you to my office."

No one dared speak; and Mr. Wilson continued anyway, unfazed. It had been a rhetorical question.

He stopped at Kori, the echo of his footsteps gradually subsiding. "Miss Anders; I am fully aware you are a newcomer. Excused."

He moved past her and she nearly let herself heave a sigh of relief. Almost.

"Markov. My office seems to be your home away from home, isn't it?" He laughed, taunting her. "You started the fight, didn't you? You always do." Mr. Wilson clucked his tongue, shaking his head in mock disappointment. "Stay after school."

Mr. Wilson approached Richard. A manic ghost of a smile appeared on his face. "Ah, Grayson. So we meet again. Trying to be the knight in shining armor, are you?" He leaned in closer and whispered in Richard's ear. "Sorry, my boy, but you can't have your cake and eat it too."

Richard had a faint idea of what he was talking about, but he paid it no heed. What did he know, anyway?

Mr. Wilson narrowed his good eye. "Stay. After school."

He turned around, heading for the stairs. With a wave of his hand, he sent the three scurrying to their own classrooms.

"Dismissed."

In their hurry to get away from their slightly maniacal principal, none of them noticed Jason, still moaning, being collected by Baran and Selinda Flinders; Mr. Wilson's personal goons of some sorts.

* * *

><p>"Jason. So good to see you again," Mr. Wilson greeted, voice laced with sarcasm.<p>

"Wazzat?" Jason mumbled, still disoriented. "Didjagetthanumbahofthatru-"

The man swiftly reached out and touched a nerve on his neck. Jason's shoulders sagged, unconscious, and the Flinders siblings let go. "Rebels today are nothing like we were before..."

* * *

><p>"So, what do you intend to do with that footage?" Dick asked coolly, hovering over Tara's small frame by the locker areas. "Post it on Youtube and get a million hits?"<p>

"I was considering that," Tara said, laughing. She rubbed her book cover absently, tracing the words 'Dick and Tara 4-ever' that had been etched by her earlier in the year.

Dick leaned in even further, his hot breath tickling Tara. "Suppose I make a bargain."

"Mhm, what kind of bargain, Mr. Grayson?" Tara pried, smirking.

"You two can go make out later at detention; food comes first!" Wally called out, pulling over next to the couple with Jen being carried bridal-style, much to her obvious displeasure, Tara noted immediately.

"Wally West, you'd better put me down, or so help me-"

"Shh, babe, you know you're enjoying it," Wally said, winking. Absently, he added- "I've never met anyone who hasn't"-and the words were out before he realized it. Jen delivered a powerful right hook and pushed him away so she could jump off.

"You-you man whore!" she exclaimed, seething with unadulterated rage. The sorceress flung a barrage of hexes, Wally cowering, too disoriented to power up and run away.

"But-but-but, Jenny! I didn't mean anything by it, I swear! I swear!" he cried in an attempt to soothe her. Wally West, don't ever become a therapist.

"Oh, I bet that gets you _all_ the girls!" Jen screamed sarcastically, the hexes still coming non-stop.

After a few more seconds, Jen let out an exasperated breath, rubbing her temples vividly. "You'd better thank your _lucky_ stars that I've got a student council meeting today, West."

As soon as the pink-haired girl stormed off, muttering some choice words about 'annoying playboy gingers', Wally kneeled and, cowering, started praising the powers-that-be.

Only after thirty verses of thanks did the speedster realize he was in the middle of the hall, and, much worse, in the middle of a crowd. He stood up nonchalantly and started walking (yes, _walking_) to the cafeteria.

"What, have you never seen a guy say thanks before?"

* * *

><p>"Dude!"<p>

Gar waved his hand enthusiastically, pointing down at their table once he caught sight of his friend.

"'Sup! Where's Jen?" he asked innocently, watching as Wally put down his tray dejectedly. He flinched.

"At a student council meeting," Wally replied carefully. What they don't know, won't hurt them...

"Hey, watch me balance the spoon on my nose!" Gar exclaimed, carefully positioning the utensil. Vic stared at him strangely.

"You're a weird kid, you know that?"

"I'm not a kid!" Gar protested, catching the spoon with one hand.

* * *

><p>"Roll call!"<p>

The voice rang throughout the room and the chatter of several people gradually subsided. A boy with glasses too big for his face and a crisp polo shirt nodded in approval, and he casually shuffled papers on the long table.

"Student council vice-president, Gemini de Mille?"

A girl with black hair sitting heedlessly at the right hand of the boy smiled, waving her hand. "Present."

"Student council secretary, Kit Freeman?"

At the left of the roll caller was a boy grinning widely. "Present!"

"Student council treasurer, Koma Anders?"

"Right here, lamebrain," Koma called out with much disinterest.

"Third year representative, Angela Hawkins?"

"The third; present," purred a girl seated next to Kit. The boy rolled his eyes and glanced down at his papers again.

"Third year representative, Brion Markov?"

"Right here, Seymour," a boy with orange hair called out, smiling. The boy called Seymour smiled back.

"Second year representative, Jessie Chambers?"

A girl with curly blonde hair smiled graciously at the rest of the council. "Present."

"Second year representative, Miriam Delgado?"

"Here!" Miriam swished her black ponytail around, grinning broadly at Seymour.

"Second year representative, Charlie Watkins?"

A boy with spiked hair, tinted with neon pinks and blues, raised his hand quietly. Seymour scratched the back of his neck and nodded in acknowledgement.

"First year representative, Jennifer Hex?" He said the name with great interest, his eyes scanning the room in search of the girl.

The door to the council office burst open, and a panting Jen nearly fell forward in exhaustion. "I'm. Here. Sorry. I'm. Late."

Seymour felt a slight heat rush to his cheeks. "That's okay, Jen. Please take a seat."

He cleared his throat, and proceeded with roll call. "First year representative, Barbara Gordon?"

"Right here, dear," Barbara said, winking. A lock of her fiery red hair was twirled around her finger, and she slowly unraveled it with much interest.

"First year representative, Kyle Rayner?"

"Present!" the boy called out in a singsong voice, imitating a preschooler on his first day. Seymour chuckled, and stepped aside, revealing a boy seated at the head of the table. His face was set in a hard expression, and he eyed each of the student council members.

"I am Damian Wayne, student council president."

Kyle raised his hand. "Aren't you the kid in my class? You're the advanced one, right? Aren't you a bit young to be leading this orga-"

"Questions that do not pertain to this school's business are not to be entertained," Damian said, his icy tone cutting through the air.

* * *

><p>Jen slumped backward and drowned out the sound of Kyle and Damian throwing arguments at each other. Her first day at council and she was already bored out of her mind. This was going to be a long school year...<p>

"Hey, aren't you friends with Dick Grayson?"

"Classmates," Jen corrected lazily. "Associates."

"Right," the girl said, smiling at Jen, waiting for her to reply.

Jen vaguely remembered her name. "I'm sorry, what was your name again? Betty something?"

The smile tightened. "Barbara Gordon."

"Ah. Jennifer Hex," the sorceress said, sticking out her hand. "Call me Jen."

"Call me Babs," the red-haired girl returned, taking the hand and shaking it.

"So. Do you have any powers or something?" Jen asked vaguely. Babs shook her head, still smiling.

"No, but I'm part of a meta class. Rank two."

"Oh. Too bad. I'm part of a meta class, too - rank one."

"Good for you, then. Powers?"

"Probability manipulation," Jen recited. Her chest tightened a bit as the memory of homeroom came flooding back, and that goofy grin of his was right in front of her...

"Cool. Do you think you could do something about the two doofuses who won't shut up?"

"My pleasure," Jen drawled, smiling slightly. Her fingers clicked, and the light fixture fell in between the arguing boys, narrowly missing their faces.

"Time for a break, methinks," Koma called out. Jen made a mental note to ask that Kori girl if there was any relation between them.

The members rushed out of the tiny office; Jen and Babs walked together to the cafeteria. Jen couldn't wait to introduce her to everyone else...

* * *

><p><em>AN: A long one! Hopefully the quality matches the quantity. If anyone's interested, here is a list of characters and their corresponding DCU alter-egos. I won't be giving all of them a major role, although you'll probably be seeing them a bit more in the future..._

_**Main Characters (Original Titans)**  
>Richard "Dick" Grayson - RobinNigtwing  
>Kori Anders - StarfireKoriand'r  
>Raven Roth - Raven<br>Garfield "Gar" Logan - Beast Boy/Changeling  
>Victor "Vic" Stone - Cyborg<br>**Secondary Characters (Titans East, Honorary Titans, Antagonists and the like)  
><strong>Wallace Rudolph "Wally" West - Kid Flash  
>Jennifer "Jen" Hex - Jinx<br>Roy Harper - Speedy  
>Garth - Aqualad<br>Joseph Wilson - Jericho  
>Kole Weathers - Kole<br>Isaiah Crockett - Hotspot/Joto  
>Antonia "Toni" Monetti - Argent<br>Barbara "Babs" Gordon - Batgirl/Oracle  
>Koma Anders - BlackfireKomand'r  
>Slade Wilson - SladeDeathstroke  
><strong>Supporting Characters (Other students, teachers and the like)<br>**Rose Wilson - Ravager  
>Seymour Oculos - Seemore (Yeah, he has a lame last name, but he didn't exist in the DCU so I had to leave it up to my lame imagination...)<br>Miriam Delgado - Mirage  
>Gemini de Mille - Gemini<br>Brion Markov - Geoforce  
>Christopher "Kit" Freeman - Kid Eternity<br>Angela Hawkins III - Phobia  
>Jessie Belle Chambers - Jessie Quick<br>Charlie Watkins - Killowat  
>Kyle Rayner - Green Lantern<br>Niel Richards - Mad Mod  
>Lara de Mille - Madame Rouge<br>_

_Well, that was a longie. I might even add new characters as we progress (I'll definitely be adding parents and such), so I'd better remember to keep you updated as we'll be introducing some characters that weren't part of the Animated Series (but part of the DCU continuity nonetheless)._

_For now, review, please!_


	7. So, The Day Is About To End

_**Important announcement!**  
><em>

_**I got a lot of people waiting for some plot... well, guess what? This story is going to have no main dramatic underlying plot waiting to unravel itself! Of course, there shall be many mini-plots and drama for everyone looking for some, but nothing that will take up the whole storyline.**_

_**So, on that note, I'd like to hear from you guys! What would **_**you_ want to see happening? Suggestions are always welcome._**

_A/N: My warmest thanks go to Anthony 1l, I'm Not A Princess, Concolor44, and robstarfan723 for reviewing. Aww, only four reviewers? I'm hurt! I know you guys can do better than that!_

_DISCLAIMER: Disclaimed._

* * *

><p>After a few minutes of searching, Jen successfully spotted their table.<p>

"Hey, guys, I made a new friend," Jen called out, mild sarcasm in her tone.

"Um, hi!" Barbara greeted, waving shyly. "I'm -"

"Barbara Gordon, right? The daughter of the GCPD police commissioner?" Vic said, smiling. The redhead nodded in acknowledgement. The football player stuck a hand out. "Victor Stone. Call me Vic."

"Karen Beecher," the girl said, raising a hand to mark her presence.

Kori beamed at Barbara, pleased to be making a new friend. "Kori Anders."

"Gar Logan," the changeling introduced lazily.

"Raven Roth," the empath offered, taking a bite into her sandwich.

"Roy Harper," the archer said, waving.

"Richard Grayson," the boy said, forcing a smile.

Barbara smiled back. "A pleasure to meet you, _mister_ Grayson - dad's told me much about you and Bruce."

Richard nodded slowly, his thoughts floating to farther lands.

"Garth," the swimmer greeted, smiling kindly.

"Isaiah Crockett," the pyrokinetic said.

Toni smiled graciously. "Toni Monetti."

"Wally West," the speedster said with a wink. Jen frowned as Barbara giggled.

Barbara's eyes flickered to the table in the far right of the cafeteria. She smiled sheepishly. "I'm pleased to meet you all; sorry, but I have to go meet up with the people I eat with usually. Maybe another time...?"

"No prob," Jen said, giving a small 'thumbs-up' sign.

"See ya around," Roy said, smiling politely.

* * *

><p>"Richard, why are the students all grouped differently?"<p>

Richard stopped eating, and he looked at Kori with a grin. "Well, here in America, we have different social statuses."

He pointed to the table to their left.

"Those people are labeled 'goths'. They kinda have a tendency to hate the world and dress in dark colors."

"Rae would have been put there if we didn't come along," Gar put in, grinning.

"Shut up," Raven snapped, rolling her eyes.

Richard then pointed to the table in front. "Those are the 'geeks'. Some are academically advanced and others are just, um, nerdy."

Gar took on the next table. "Those chicks and dudes on the right? Yeah, those are the 'populars', or, as we like to call them, the 'plastic blood-hungry evil-"

Karen hit him on the head. "Stop teaching Kori the wrong things."

"Seriously!" Gar moaned. "Between you and Rae I'm not going to make it to the end of freshman year!"

"Ahem," Toni said, turning to Kori with a smile. "I think you got the general idea, love."

"Over there are the jocks." Garth jerked his thumb over his shoulder, pointing at the table behind them. "They're the athletic dudes."

Kori nodded slowly. "Fascinating. On Tamaran, there are only two of these divisions." She smiled without humor. "There are the royalty who command, and the commoners who obey. To the royalty you may not look them in the eye, you must bow to the ground, and your responses are limited to, generally, 'yes, my Empress'."

The table was pretty much stunned to silence. Gar was the first to find his voice - much to the dismay of everyone else.

"Am I glad to be living in the US. Uh, go Democrats!"

* * *

><p>"Good afternoon, dear students!"<p>

"Good afternoon," the class muttered, feeling uncomfortable. Not many - if not no - teachers in their school even spoke decently to them; let alone as happily as this woman did.

Their teacher was a young woman; her blonde hair was tied neatly into a bun, and her grin was wide and overly cheery.

"Good afternoon!" Kori chirped with equal fervor.

"My name is Harleen Frances Quinzel - Ms. Quinzel to you, darlings," the woman said, bowing slightly. "I shall be your Social Studies teacher for the rest of the year."

Ms. Quinzel adjusted her round glasses, turning to the chalkboard. "Right! So, let's start with a meet-and-greet!"

Jen groaned. Not_ that_ crap again...

"Only this time, I want you to introduce yourselves with a _positive _adjective!" Ms. Quinzel's chalk moved swiftly across the board. _Happy Harleen!_ it read.

"Well, _that's_ the understatement of the year," Raven drawled.

"She should try _High Harleen_," Roy snickered, nudging Richard in the ribs.

Richard rolled his eyes. "Enough with the wise-cracks already," he said sternly.

Roy laughed even harder. "Heh. Cracks."

"So fucking immature..."

"How about you, dearie?"

Wally's head snapped up, searching for the first victim of their meet-and-greet. A book was slammed on a desk.

The redhead snickered. Raven. This was going to be good...

* * *

><p>Raven just couldn't understand it. Despite her angriest scowl, her meanest glare and her toughest stance - this woman was still beaming at her as though she'd handed her a puppy with a Visa Black card in its mouth.<p>

"Don't be shy, hon'. Just give us two words," Ms. Quinzel prodded, smiling kindly.

"Raven Roth," she said simply.

"No, honey - your name and an adjective."

"I _did_. Raven Roth."

"Dear-"

"Roth is the noun," Raven began, switching into teacher mode. "Raven is a proper adjective describing said noun."

Ms. Quinzel's smile tightened. "Alright, then. How about you, darling?"

She pointed at Garfield, who was half-asleep.

"Huh?" Gar mumbled. "No, I don't want any meat..."

Raven glanced at her teacher. "I'll take care of this." The empath telekinetically hoisted his body up, racking it several times. He woke up with a jolt, screaming for his life, much to the amusement of his classmates.

Raven smirked, satisfied, and she turned back to the teacher. "All yours."

"Um, great!" Ms. Quinzel said, shifting uncomfortably. She turned to Gar. "So, kindly continue our little meet-and-greet!"

"Uh, Green Gar?"

The class started snickering. Kori grinned in incredulity. He's cute...

Their Social Studies teacher giggled. "Okay... how about you, dearie?"

"Er-"

Richard looked up from scribbling on a note to Tara to see Kori standing up and struggling for words.

In his mind, he filled out every possible adjective to describe Kori. _Kindhearted. Kick-ass. Kinetic. Knowledgeable. Kis-_

"Keen Kori?"

"Very good!" Ms. Quinzel chirped, clasping her hands and turning to the next person. "Next, please?"

Richard looked up. "Huh?"

"Your turn," the blonde prodded gently.

"Can I skip?" Richard tried, frowning.

Kori nudged him and offered a kind smile. Richard felt his face heating up, and he stood abruptly.

He was about to say something, but apparently decided against it, as he sat back down. "I think I _will_ skip," he muttered, adjusting his sunglasses and slumping in his seat.

Ms. Quinzel nodded curtly. "Alrighty then. Next person, please!"

"Um..." Tara put a finger to her chin thoughtfully.

Gar sighed, staring. "Tara's so adorable."

"Don't talk to me about it," Raven droned, ignoring the aching feeling in her chest.

"Terrific Tara?" the geokinetic said, feeling silly. Wasn't this the kind of thing they did to kindergarteners?

"B-Beautiful Barbara," the redhead said, feigning modesty.

"Jinxed Jen," Jen called out flatly, not even bothering to stand up or look at her teacher.

"Hon', don't be like that - we want positive vibes!" It became clear that Ms. Quinzel was a die-hard optimist. "Try again!"

"Wise Wally!" the speedster blurted out, hoping to save Jen from probable embarrassment.

Apparently, Ms. Quinzel had forgotten all about Jen. She beamed at the boy. "Great! Alright, let's move to the next person."

"Don't think that you're forgiven yet, West," Jen said quietly, smirking in mild amusement.

Wally grinned. "That'll change soon."

And so it went, several opting instead to skip, and a handful of brave souls participating. The activity had eaten up a generous portion of their period, and Ms. Quinzel, unsurprisingly, smiled at them all.

"What a fantastic first day!" Gar wasn't quite sure if she was sarcastic or she was just really, really happy... "I'm giving you the last five minutes for being such _great_ students!" Okay, now he _knew_ she was being sarcastic... right?

The class didn't waste any time.

* * *

><p>Gar slid over to Raven, grinning. "Wanna hear a joke?"<p>

"No," she said flatly, not even turning away from her book.

"Okay, knock-knock!" Gar said, missing the response.

Raven sighed in defeat. _Why not...? He's just going to pester me until I give in, anyway. _"Who's there," she said flatly, making it more of a statement than a question.

"Aardvark," Gar said cheerily.

"Aardvark who."

"Aardvark a thousand miles to see you smile," the changeling said with a wink.

Raven simply rolled her eyes, putting her hood up to hide the red tint on her cheeks. "I pity the girl who's got your interest." _Tara_, Raven reminded herself with a tinge of sadness.

"And then, Kara told Martin that Marie was breaking up with him tomorrow!" Tara explained with great zeal.

"No!" Kitten shrieked, eyes wide.

"Yes!" Barbara squealed.

"So, Martin was _totally_ pissed! He went to confront her, and then," Tara leaned in, like it was a big secret. "they said they saw both of them coming out, hand in hand, and his face full of the lipstick Marie likes a lot."

"That whore!" Kitten yelled angrily, rolling her eyes.

"So... Vietnam, huh?"

"Yup. And France."

"Cool."

Awkward silence.

Roy rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Wanna... go out sometime?"

Jade shrugged. "Eh. Why not? Pick me up at 7?"

"Deal."

Kole giggled, scribbling on a piece of torn paper. She handed it to Joseph, who was grinning from ear to ear.

"Who knew this could be so much fun!" Kole exclaimed in joy, her eyes scanning the scrap paper.

The bell gave a shrill ring, and the students wasted no time in exiting the classroom.

* * *

><p>"What's your next period, Kor?"<p>

Kori grinned. "Literature. And you, Richard?"

"Shucks. I've got Math next."

"Don't worry," Barbara interjected. "I'll keep you company, Dick."

"I've got Lit, too, Kor," Tara said kindly. "Let's sit together."

"_Yes!_" Gar did a little victory dance, and Raven cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Are you having a spasm, Gar?"

"I have study hall this period!"

"Wow. Joy. Great," Raven said, deadpanning.

"You know what that means..." Gar grinned, rubbing his hands gleefully. "...it means _prank time!_"

"Just don't get me involved and you'll live to see another day," Raven said quickly.

"Let's see... if I can sneak out of the school, I can get a couple of goats..."

Raven rolled her eyes. "You nut."

* * *

><p>Gar scurried around the halls in mouse form, glancing behind him every now and then to check if his flo- uh, whatever it is you call a group of goats - were still in line.<p>

Once he reached the main hall, he morphed back into his human form. Gar checked the numbering - good; everything was in place. He clapped his hands.

"Go, my friends! Spread out and, um, mult- no, wait, that doesn't sound right... uh, go and scare the hell out of people!"

The changeling snickered, and he made a mad dash to the library. Hopefully, the principal would take the rest of the day looking for his little friends...

* * *

><p>"Mhm, have I ever told you how Dick asked me to be his steady girlfriend, Kor?"<p>

Kori shook her head politely. She shut her copy of _Wuthering Heights_ and gave her undivided attention to Tara, who sighed dreamily at the thought.

"It was on the last day of school - like any other day, we went out for break. I come back, and there's a letter in my desk. The sweetest poem was written inside! Last line - _Will you be mine?_"

Kori sighed. That was such a romantic story...

"You are most fortunate," Kori gushed.

"I know!" Tara chirped. "I hope you find yours, too," the geomancer added sincerely.

"I thank you," Kori said, smiling.

Suddenly, Kori's stomach churned. She didn't feel so good...

"May I go out, Ms. al Ghul?" Kori exclaimed out of the blue, raising her hand.

The teacher in question rose an eyebrow, but nodded. "Okay, but you shall not learn anything that way!"

* * *

><p>"There are only 6!"<p>

"But vhere is numver 2?"

Ma'am de Mille frowned as she tugged on the beast's leash. Mr. Richards, on the other hand, had his hands full - in the literal sense and non- - with five other goats.

"Search the school!" Coach Hallam barked. "We're going to _find _that goat if it's the last thing we do!"

Gar snickered, barely concealing the wide grin with his book of choice. The library turned out to be the ideal spot to enjoy the fruits of his labor. He predicted at least two days of searching, for the goat that was not even there.

"I'm a genius," Gar complimented himself, feeling proud. The bell gave a shrill ring and he dashed out of the library, knocking over a few chairs, and missing the librarian's agitated "_shh!_".

* * *

><p>The rush of cool water felt good on her aching hands. Kori dried her hands off and she turned to leave the lavatory.<p>

"_Psst!_"

Kori frowned. "Is anyone there?"

"_Pssssst! Red!_"

The alien's eyebrows shot up. "Wally?"

"_Psst! Out here!_"

Now, Kori could just about make out his red hair and a blue eye peeking through a crack in the door. She stepped out, and, grinning, smacked him in the head. "Peeping Tom," she accused.

Wally grinned sheepishly. "It's kinda hard to resist."

Kori laughed. "Perv."

"Where'd you pick _that _one from?"

"Gar teaches me much." Wally rolled his eyes. Gar, as always.

"Hey, listen, I've got five minutes at most 'til Hand comes looking for me and making sure that I haven't flooded the boys' lavatory with my-"

"I get the idea," Kori said, slightly disgusted. Wally grinned again.

"Right. So, I wanna ask - how do you get to a girl's heart?"

"Mhm, who has piqued your interest, Wally?" Kori asked with a smirk. She was betting on either Raven or-

"Jen," Wally answered dreamily.

"Ah. I suggest..." It was a little hard for Kori to think of something, seeing as she and Jen were not more than casual acquaintances. She made a mental note to get to know the sorceress better. "...roses."

"Roses?" Wally asked skeptically.

Kori nodded, smiling. "Roses. Flowers will be the key to the heart of a girl."

Wally furrowed his eyebrows. "I thought food and money were the keys to a girl's heart?"

Kori let out a laugh. "You are the doofus."

"Yes, but you know you love me," Wally said with a wink.

"Go on, before Ms. al Ghul looks for me, too."

"Gotcha. Thanks a lot, Kor!" Wally exclaimed. "Can I give ya a lift to Lit?"

"Be my guest," Kori said, keeping still as Wally lifted her into his arms.

"Hold on tight, babe."

* * *

><p>"Please do problems 1 to 10, on the board."<p>

Richard was bored out of his mind. His head had been throbbing the entire period, and it didn't help that Mr. Karlo kept picking on him ("Mr. Grayson! Why don't you try shaping up and _listening_ for once! Get your head our of the gutter and stop flirting!") and getting mad at him for the shit Babs was doing ("Let me see that note, Mr. Grayson!" "How juvenile! A _date_?").

That nerdy kid - Seymour, was it? - was on the board. Just as the chalk was finishing up the last problem, the bell gave a shrill ring, and Richard nearly tripped himself getting to the exit.

"It was nice to see you, too, Mr. Grayson!" Mr. Karlo called out sarcastically, watching in annoyance as the door was left open and the rest of the class was left standing to say the customary farewells.

Richard poked his head through the door and he grinned sheepishly. "Bye, Mr. Karlo."

"_Detention!_" the math teacher thundered, veins sticking out on his neck. These kids were going to be the death of him...

* * *

><p><em>AN: Fwahahaha... haha... ha... ha.. ha?_

_Right. A longie, this time. No new major characters, just a couple of teachers. Speaking of which - better do the character profiles. Spotlight: TEACHERS! -blows a party horn-_

_**Ms. al Ghul** - (Literature) Talia al Ghul, daughter of villain Ra's al Ghul, and love interest of Batman (Bruce Wayne). If you've watched the Dark Knight Rises, then **SPOILER ALERT** you should know that her movie-exclusive alter ego is none other than **SPOILER ALERT** Miranda Tate._

_**Mr. Hand** - (Computer) William Hand, also known as the Black Hand, the leader and avatar of the Black Lantern Corps., a group of resurrected villains, heroes, and civilians which are key in certain superheroes' lives.  
>I wanted to choose another alter ego because I thought Hand was silly... turns out his other alter ego was Palm, so... yeah...<em>

_**Mr. Karlo** - (Math) The first Clayface, actor Basil Karlo. He was driven mad when he heard of his old horror film being remade without him starring as the lead. He takes on the identity of the film villain and embarks on a murder spree.  
><em>

_**Mr. Richards** - (Homeroom of Meta Class, Rank 1) Niel Richards, a.k.a. Mad Mod. One of the notable villains from the Teen Titans animated series, and certainly the most used in high school fan fictions (ehem, mea culpa, mea culpa O_O).  
><em>

_**Coach Hallam** - (Physical Education) Monsieur Mallah, the assistant of the Brain. In the animated series he is shown as the Brain's right hand man in planning the attack of the Brotherhood of Evil.  
><em>

_**Dr. Jones **- (Science) Waylon Jones, a.k.a. Killer Croc. I have no idea why I chose this guy, but, meh.  
><em>

_**Ms. Quinzel** - (Social Studies) Harleen Frances Quinzel, also known as Harley Quinn, sidekick and love interest of the Joker.  
>Their meet-and-greet experience was a personal experience of mine... except my teacher demanded places... I skipped... -smiles guiltily-<em>

_REVIEW PLEASE! Don't forget to leave a suggestion on what you'd like to see in the story, and some sub-plots you guys would want to happen. All pairings! Romance and friendship! Drama! Humor! Action and adventure! Give me everything you've got!_


	8. The Love Bug Bites Quite Fiercely

_A/N: TERRIBLY SORRY FOR DISAPPEARING... for a month... -breaks down and cries-  
>Of course I won't bore you with a long excuse letter... so here's your story. Please don't kill me...<br>_

_On a lighter note, please don't forget to **submit any feedback and suggestions** to keep the ball rolling! I had a hard time figuring out ideas for the story but I'd be ever so grateful if you guys help me out so I can deliver. I had a lot of ideas, but coming from you guys makes me feel safer so I don't risk your displeasure.  
><em>

_DISCLAIMER: I own not the Teen Titans._

* * *

><p>"<em>Kori!<em>"

Kori turned around, to be met by a running Richard, who was grinning crazily. He grabbed her hand, and, together, they almost flew going out of the school.

After a solid five minutes of running, Richard's legs gave. Gently, Kori pried off his grip on her, and she tended to him. "Are you unharmed?"

Kori heard his breathing loud and clear. "I'm. Good. Thanks."

"Thank X'hal," Kori said, now sitting with him on the sidewalk. It was a fine day; the soft breeze and the luscious autumn leaves cluttering the road. The road was isolated, seeing as they left the rest of the student population behind, back in school, returning their books to their lockers-

"Eep!" Kori's hands flew to her mouth.

Richard raised an eyebrow. "What is it, Kor?"

"I forgot to get my Math book from the locker!"

"I'll lend you mine," Richard said resolutely. "Now, let's get to your house."

Kori looked at him, and the boy could tell she wasn't convinced, but she stood up anyway. "Why were you in such a hurry to come over?"

Richard chuckled. "Let's just say that if I'd come any later, I wouldn't have been able to come at all."

The alien cocked an eyebrow at his words. "I am afraid I do not understand."

"I'll explain later," Richard promised. _Once we're in the safety of your home, which I hope is far, far away from the school..._

Richard gestured to the open road, bowing a little. "Ladies first."

Kori giggled. "You are the dork."

At Richard's feigned hurt, Kori rolled her eyes. "A chivalrous dork."

"Much better," Richard said, grinning.

* * *

><p>Wally waved at Gar and Raven, who headed his way. "Are you guys heading to detention, too?"<p>

"Yup," Gar said sadly. "Someone squealed!"

Raven rolled her eyes. "It doesn't take too many guesses to figure out you did it, green bean."

Wally tilted his head. "I get Gar's headed for detention, but Ra-"

"I'm the so-called 'accomplice'," Raven grumbled. "I said I sat though it at the library the whole time."

"Didn't believe you?" Jen asked, smirking a little.

"Obviously not."

"So, what did _you_ do?" Gar inquired, munching on a candy bar he'd kept in his pocket.

Jen, without a sound, handed him a white slip of paper; one he knew all too well. "Let's see..."

**Hex, Jennifer  
>Meta Class R1<br>Under the advisory of: Richards, Neil**

**Period: Gym  
>Teacher: Kyle, Selina<strong>

**Complaint: The student in question is doing well, but she ****hit**** this Kathryn girl too many times with the volleyball for my taste. Also, she refused to share the ball and at one point shoved a blonde-haired girl to the floor. ****F****or my part****, ****her tactics are admirable, but rules are rules.**

**Punishment: 2 days of detention, monitorial duty for a week**

**Period: Math  
>Teacher: Karlo, Basil<strong>

**Complaint: Sleeping in class. Imagine! Didn't stand up during the end, like th****e**** cocky kid with the sunglasses...**

**Punishment: 1 week of detention, monitorial duty for a month, minus 1 GPA**

**Period: Art  
>Teacher: Thompkins, Leslie<strong>

**Complaint: Jen's the best artist I've seen in years. Problem is, she's 'clumsy' - over two bottles of black paint****! S****pilt****! ****O****nto th****is...**** Kathryn girl's dress and canvas.**

**Punishment: 3 days of detention, replacement of paint**

Gar let out a low whistle. "Troublemaker, huh?"

Jen shrugged. "She was asking for it. Called me a gothic freak..."

"That's it?" Wally asked, curious. He'd thought Jen was had more composure than _that_... although, he must admit, it sounded fun to be able to torture Kathryn for a period or three.

"But I sympathize with her," Raven interjected. She turned to the sorceress. "How _did_ you manage to get stuck with Kathryn for three whole periods?"

"Four," Jen corrected, grinning. "But Jade beat me to her at Social Studies."

"I guess we'll be seeing her in detention too?" Wally asked, jerking a thumb to the left, indicating they had already arrived.

Raven shrugged as she turned the knob and opened the door to room 158. "It's beginning to look like it."

"What's beginning to look like _what_?"

Wally looked away, suddenly interested in the cobweb in the far corner of the room. Rachel stared ahead into space, and Jen was seething. She spat the name out. "Kathryn."

"Yup," Kathryn said, smirking. "There's nothing in this school I don't know." She grinned her wicked grin at Jen, digging her claw-like nails into the sorceress's arm. "So spill."

"Do you _really_ think whatever they're walking about is worth all the effort, Kitten?"

The group turned to face a tall girl with narrow purple eyes. Her jet black hair fell casually down her shoulders. Her posture radiated confidence, and she placed a hand on Kathryn's shoulder.

Kathryn glared at her friend, Jen assumed, and spitefully released the sorceress's arm. "I guess not."

Jen promptly pressed on her arm, glaring at the pair out of the corner of her eye. Her sharp nails left a mark, but it wasn't bleeding. At least, Jen hoped not. It wasn't like she was going to cry... but she feared she might make Kathryn do just that... and worse...

The high-pitched screech of chalk on the board stopped all train of thought. Wally's eyes twitched. Jen frowned, covering her ears. Raven growled instinctively, also protecting her ears.

And they could only stare in horror as Gar fell to the ground with a thud.

* * *

><p>"I am home!"<p>

Kori snatched her house key from the front door knob. She strode through the house with confidence, leading her guest to the main room. Richard, on the other hand, took his time walking.

"No one's around, huh?" Richard asked, trying to make small talk.

The alien shrugged. "I believe my parents are away at the port of air. My sister is most to be expected with her friends. I do not approve of them, but it is, after all, my sister's choice, correct?"

"Right." Richard agreed, plopping on the cream couch, making himself at home.

"Please stay for a few minutes; I shall retrieve my study things from my quarters," Kori bade formally, even bowing slightly.

Richard nodded. "Take your time."

* * *

><p>Jade grinned. Her long black hair swayed as she walked to her cream colored closet.<p>

"Well... it's my first date... in a long, _long_ time." Jade pulled out a deep emerald dress. "Better make it the best."

She carefully unzipped the back - it was, after all, a new dress she'd bought for the occasion. The Vietnamese girl chuckled. She recalled the befuddled expression on her mother's face when she declared her trip to the mall. "It's not like I _never_ go to the mall... of my own free will..." Jade muttered, slipping into the outfit.

Her forest green eyes flickered to the digital clock. Five-thirty. Plenty of time to get ready.

Jade let out a sigh. She reached for her lipstick. Time to do the face.

* * *

><p>Gar felt awful. It was like he'd been hit by a truck. And then he rolled into the sewer. And got hit by a rock.<p>

"Is he going to be okay?"

Raven?

The changeling dared to open his eyes and saw sterile white walls. He moved his hand slightly and deduced he was on a bed.

The blonde nurse chuckled. "Of course. Just that his animal ears - he's a changeling, right? - picked up the frequency better than regular ears. So if it hurt for you," the nurse pointed at Raven to make a point, "it was worse for Garfield. But don't worry, he'll be up and running before the day ends, I guarantee."

Raven let out the breath that she didn't realize she was holding. Wally and Jen left after waiting with her for twenty minutes. Raven had cocked an eyebrow but didn't complain. At least they had bothered.

"Can I get some tofu around here?"

The empath without delay turned to the patient's bed. "You're awake," she said, trying to regulate her voice.

"Aw, Rae," Gar began, feigning hurt. "I could have died and you're still not smiling."

"The nurse said you'd be okay," Raven pointed out quickly.

"I'm gonna keep getting injured, you know, until you smile!" Gar promised, just half-kidding.

"Okay, but it's you who's going to die early," Raven said, also somewhat joking.

"But I gotta recarparate first," Gar said resolutely, relaxing his body again.

Raven rolled her eyes. "Recuperate," she muttered.

"Whatever," Gar said, almost asleep.

And Raven smiled, because she knew now everything would be alright.

Gar grinned. "I saw that."

Raven hit him on the head, forgetting about his earlier injury. "Idiot."

The nurse chuckled, silently edging her small frame out the door. "Kids."

* * *

><p>Richard shifted uncomfortably in his position on Kori's carpeted floor. He sat next to Kori, who was engrossed in her copy of <em>Jane Eyre<em>. But Richard was less than interested in his calculus textbook. He was more interested in the girl sitting next to him.

The boy had to smile to himself. Kori was so cute, lying flat on her back and wiggling her toes every few minutes. Her bright emerald eyes were intent on the pages of her novel. Richard had to take in her cute habit of biting her lip when, he assumed, the book got to a critical point.

Speaking of her lips... they looked so attractive, especially when she smiles... Richard found them very, _very_ kissable...

"Mmph!"

Richard snapped out of his reverie, and much to his shock, his lips pressed against Kori's. He reeled back, beet red.

"Sorry! Are you alright, Kor?" he asked, embarrassed.

"I'm good," Kori replied, turning away to hide her blush as well.

"That's a reli-" Richard stopped. What did she just say? "What was that, Kor?"

"I said, I'm good and you don't have to worry," Kori replied slowly, stressing the syllables. She switched positions and was now sitting in an Indian-sit fashion.

"Did you just use a contraction?" Richard asked out of shock.

"So maybe I did just use a contraction," Kori echoed, twirling a lock of her auburn hair around her index finger. "Perhaps... it's my language assimilation?"

"Yeah," Richard agreed. "That must be it."

They re-immersed themselves in their books. Kori had easily found her way back into the quaint world of Jane and Mr. Rochester. Richard, though, while he never became interested in math (Mr. Karlo can attest to that), could now not even bear to look at the pages. He was not only embarrassed for himself... his thoughts wandered to the small blonde girl whom he had expecting him over for dinner later.

Richard groaned. He was _dead_.

* * *

><p>Roy let out a low whistle.<p>

"Look at what we have here," he said, grinning.

Jade rolled her eyes. "Let's just go."

"After you, madam," Roy said, bowing and gesturing grandly to the car parked in front of her house.

"Nice ride," Jade commented, slamming her door shut. Roy frowned playfully.

"I wanted to close the door for you."

"Well too bad," Jade said, crossing her arms.

Roy sighed, and climbed into the driver's seat. Jade refused to look at him, staring at the road intently.

_This is going to be one long date._

* * *

><p><em>AN: I really can't believe that not only am I weeks late, this isn't even a quality chapter. I fail. Please, hit me now with your rotten tomatoes of shame. ):_

_Regarding the RichKor moment... well, I have plenty of bumps and twists prepared for you. Did you _really_ think they'd get together that easily? Of course not. :D -insert evil laughter here-_

_I probably sound thick right now, but as always... please review! ; ^ ;  
><em>


	9. Love Is A Strange Thing

_A/N: Hark! I am back with a new chapter. We're getting a bit lovey-lovey around here, but then again, isn't that usually what high school is about? Next chapter, I swear, I'll lay off the complicated love problems. Promise._

_DISCLAIMER: I don't own the Teen Titans._

* * *

><p>Richard darted around the empty hallways. He was determined not to run into anyone - especially of the female variety - today.<p>

In his defense, he didn't always make good decisions under pressure.

It had _seemed_ like a good idea last night, to ditch Tara and blow an entire evening playing video games with Damian (27 games later, the little twerp destroyed the console), but now that he thought about it...

Well, it had _seemed_ like a good idea to try and leave Kori, too. But he was pretty sure that Kori was mad at him for cutting their study session short, even... after...

Richard frowned, and ducked into a lavatory. His safe house.

And then he heard the flushing of a toilet, and a creaking door. He turned around.

The boy swore under his breath.

"Well, _hello_, Mr. Grayson. So we meet again." Richard would attest to it until his death - the old man was wearing a sadistic sort of smile.

Mr. Wilson's good eye was shining, like he had told a joke. "Cutting classes this time, eh?"

As Jump City Academy's principal led him out the door, he inwardly cursed again. He might have known that choosing the bathroom would be yet another wrong decision.

* * *

><p>Gar was convinced. There was something there, when he and Raven spent the afternoon in the infirmary.<p>

He closed his eyes, and thought of Tara. She was absolutely beautiful. She had bright blue eyes and glittering blond hair. She was rail thin. She was popular, and... she happened to have a boyfriend... who is one of his closest friends...

His eyes shot open, and Gar glanced at the wall clock. Five more minutes until break. The changeling sighed, and he glanced forlornly at his social studies textbook. He was lost at _Bonaparte_. Part of a bun? Gar's head swirled. It didn't exactly help that his teacher, Mr. LaSalle, was fast asleep. He had taken forty winks as an early break, after claiming to be tired from tinkering with his latest antique.

He closed his eyes again, and thought this time of Raven. She was not exactly a pin-up model kind of beauty - she was one of a kind. She had pale skin, soft hair and amethyst eyes that showed all these different emotions better than Raven herself could. Raven acted like she was the harbinger of doom most of the time, isolating herself from the rest of the human population.

Gar slowly grinned, and opened his eyes. The rest of the class had already rushed out, and Mr. LaSalle was still on his desk, murmuring in contentment.

He got up and ran through the halls to fetch Raven from her classroom. He didn't know what he was going to _do_, exactly, once he got there, but Gar had a feeling it would occur to him naturally.

After two more corners, Gar arrived at the chemistry lab. For the sake of common courtesy, he peeked through the translucent glass window before entering the room.

He almost wished he hadn't.

Raven wasn't there, but Kori and Wally were. The changeling did not give his brain any moment to process what he was seeing. He ran.

* * *

><p>Toni had seen the entire exchange. Jen yelled at Wally, and - she didn't realize he had it in him - Wally yelled back.<p>

"You were _freaking making out_ with Kori!?" Jen's eyes flashed dangerously.

"What's it to you?" Wally spat out rather coldly.

"What's it to _me?_" Jen repeated, incredulous. "You were making out with a random girl!"

Wally shook his head, almost feeling triumphant. "You're talking about my _girlfriend_."

Jen nearly cried. She cast a powerful hex, and she ran away.

Toni understood why. Why Jen was hurt, she means. But not how the _heck_ Kori and Wally got together. She retreated from her position by the lockers, and dashed to her next class - Toni smiled when she realized it was study hall. "Goody. More time to make heads or tails of this mess."

* * *

><p>Karen had been watching too. Hesitantly, she approached Wally.<p>

"W-Wally?" She hoped he wouldn't blow up on her. Instinctively, she reached for her stingers.

"Oh!" Wally grinned brightly, as if he _didn't_ have a monumental fight with - Karen assumed - the person who _should_ be his girlfriend. Not that she didn't like Kori. "Hey, Karen! 'Sup?"

"Yeah... um, so... you and Kori?"

Wally's grin did not fade. He got a rather bright look in his eyes, too. "Red's fantastic."

Karen nearly frowned, but forced out a smile to keep appearances. "And... Jen?"

The grin seemed more forced. "She's a great friend!"

The girl took a step back in disgust. "You're lying," she murmured under her breath.

Wally checked his wrist, as if looking for the time, and he shrugged. He smiled at Karen. "Sorry, but I gotta go!"

Karen shook her head as the speedster did what he did best - run.

"That idiot... his watch was on the other wrist."

* * *

><p><em>Dinner was actually... the <em>better _part of the night. The car ride had been boring as hell, but Jade found herself laughing at Roy's jokes, and Roy found himself captivated by Jade's stories._

_It surprised him that someone who acted so cool and collected was actually such an innocent soul._

_Well... _some_ part of her soul was, anyway._

Jade turned slightly red as she spotted Roy walking around the corner.

Bravely, she strode over to him.

"Hey, _Alice_!" Roy grinned at her.

Jade growled and turned on him. "Do you want to _die_, idiot?"

"No thanks," Roy replied confidently.

"Call me _that_ again," Jade threatened, face flush (whether it was from embarrassment or from anger, he couldn't tell), "and you'll find that you don't have a choice in the matter."

Roy grinned again. He knew that Jade had a secret obsession with Alice in Wonderland.

"Besides," Jade continued, obviously ranting about something while Roy was spaced out, "my favorite character is the Cheshire cat."

Roy made a small humming noise, as if in thought. "So... should I call you... Cheshire?"

"It would make me happier," Jade admitted. "Although I don't see why you don't just call me _Jade_, for crying out loud."

"I feel the need for a ridiculous pet name," Roy answered bluntly. "Cheshire."

"Much bet-"

"_Naaaah_." Roy said, grinning again. "Alice sounds _much _better."

He laughed, and ran, as Jade started furiously throwing books that she held at him.

* * *

><p>"Whatcha got there?"<p>

Toni immediately crumpled up her papers and hid them behind her. She looked up and saw the smiling face of Isaiah.

"Nothing," Toni replied carefully. "Just a couple of scratch papers-"

"Let me see, then," Isaiah said with equal caution.

Toni scrunched up the papers tighter. She turned slightly red. Toni would _die_ if someone found her messing with some other people's business. "How about no?"

Isaiah rolled his eyes, and raised his hands in a sign of good will. "If you say so."

Toni knew she had him already, but she couldn't stop her big mouth from adding, "It's not like these are _important_, or anything..." _Okay, Toni, you can stop now._ "They're not that big of a secret."

The pyrokinetic cocked his head, and Toni gulped.

With one swift motion, he snatched the papers from her. Toni's hands glowed red, and she jumped to her feet. "Give. It. Back."

Isaiah, with a much larger frame than the girl, easily stopped her from getting any closer. His eyes scanned the papers. At a first glance, they were just random doodles, in Toni's unsurprisingly neat and tiny handwriting.

**KORI AND WALLY  
><strong>**Why the hell are they together?**

***Talk to Gar, maybe he knows something**

**Possibility #1 - Wally is using her to get Jen jealous  
>+ Jen is more than jealous. She is steaming and ready to bite off Wally's head if he comes within a five mile radius of her.<strong>

**Possibility #2 - Kori and Richard had a big tiff  
>- I haven't talked to Richard today, but it seems like he and Kori have not been together as they always are.<strong>

**Possibility #3 - Principal Wilson hypnotized them  
>+ Let's face facts. That man is <strong>_**evil**_**, and I heard he and Richard have this sort of history. It's not too peculiar... really...**

Isaiah cocked an eyebrow. Kori and Wally are together?

"Yes, they are," Toni said impatiently. Oops. Isaiah had been thinking out loud. "Yes, you were."

"Stop that," Isaiah said, frustrated. "So they're together. What's with the conspiracy theory?"

Toni snatched the papers from the boy. "Thank you, and... I told you. It's _nothing_." And she ripped the paper into shreds, dusting her hands after throwing them in the wastebasket.

* * *

><p>Kole allowed herself a small smile, hiding behind her huge Physics textbook. So Wally and Kori are together, huh? Wait'll Richard hears about <em>that<em>...

"You alright, Kole?"

The pink-haired girl grinned at Rose. "Of course I am."

Tentatively, Kole looked over her shoulder. She lowered her voice. "Hey, did you hear...? About... Kori Anders, and... Wally West?"

* * *

><p>Lunch time.<p>

Richard walked sluggishly out the door. He was in no hurry. After last night's fiasco, and another trip to the principal's office - Mr. Wilson had discovered his little skip in the detention sessions, and he was going to pay triple that - and a good berating from both Mr. Wilson and Coach Hallam (Bruce, by the way, would be furious), he was in no hurry to get the day rolling along.

But then again... he was Richard Grayson. This day couldn't get more downhill.

Right?

* * *

><p>"So, does everyone know what Raven knows that I know that I know I'll let all of you know?"<p>

Gar stood on top of the table, surveying his friends' facial expressions.

Slowly, everyone nodded.

"If you all know, then you know that I know what's best is if we don't let you-know-who know about you-know-what with you-know-who and you-know-who."

Vic's head started to swirl. "Gar, you'd better tell us what the _heck_ you are going on about here."

Karen rolled her eyes, and sighed. "Gar means that it's best if we don't tell Richard - yet - about Kori and Wally's... um... you know."

Vic cried in frustration. "There you go with the _you know_s again. Let's just get it straight, _I don't know!_"

"Neither do we."

Wally grinned at them. Toni's stomach churned when she saw Wally's hand wrapped around Kori's waist. Suddenly, her steaming burrito that had seemed so appetizing a minute ago, became cold and undesirable.

"What's this all about?" Kori asked, grinning as well.

"Not to be out of topic," Raven began, keeping a nonchalant face, "but Kori, did you just use a contraction?"

The tips of the alien's ears turned red. "Why do you people keep asking?"

Wally frowned at the group. "Hey, don't make Red feel hostile."

Jen angrily mimicked his words, grumbling to herself. _Red_, she repeated in her mind. It made her so... _so_...

The salt dispenser exploded in a flash of pink light, but Jen paid it no attention.

Vic whistled, and the entire group turned to him. He jerked a thumb over his shoulder.

It was Richard.

* * *

><p>"Hey, group!" Richard called out rather cheerily.<p>

"Hi babe," Tara said, sidling up to him. "How was your day?"

Richard grinned. Tara wasn't mad at him. That was the first good thing that happened to him today.

"Aside from a trip to the principal's office, and a nagging from two of my most _beloved_" his voice dripped with fake sweetness, and Tara giggled, "teachers? It's been pretty good."

Richard broke apart from Tara for a moment. "Where's Kori?"

"Greetings, Richard!" Kori said, grinning.

Wally gave a nod of acknowledgement. "Hey, dude."

Richard's eyes grew wide behind his shades, but he showed no other outward sign of shock. Wally's hands... they were in places they should not be...

Richard growled. "Get your hands off my fries!"

* * *

><p><em>AN: Gotcha there, didn't I? :D_

_Hopefully... this makes up a bit for my lack of updates? By the way - our break ends the day after tomorrow... so, let the panic writing begin!_

_As always, please review... please?  
><em>


	10. Night In

_A/N: Ugh. I must be the worst author ever. Feel free to throw heavy objects and rotten tomatoes at me now._

_I feel horrible for disappearing (well, at least this one is not as bad as A Slice of Life, I haven't touched that for half a year, methinks... mea culpa, mea culpa), but things have been so hectic and I'm not feeling the holiday break...I feel like I never left school in the first place...  
><em>

_But enough of that. Here's the friendship chapter! Of course, the friendship continues in the next chapter too!  
><em>

_DISCLAIMER: Yada, yada, insert clever pun here, I don't own the Teen Titans. You know the drill. Unless you forgot, because it's been almost two months... /cries forever_

_Belated Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year to all of you readers, by the way! ^_^  
><em>

* * *

><p>Jade grinned as Jen told her the date.<p>

"Friday? Already?"

Jen nodded eagerly, gesturing to Kori, Raven, Karen, Kole, Rose and Toni, who were waiting by the west exit. "It sure is!"

Jade slammed her locker door, a wide grin on her face. "Lead the way, then."

* * *

><p>"Friday? Already?"<p>

Gar couldn't have been happier when Vic told him what the date was. He glanced over his shoulder, and he saw Richard, Wally, Roy, Isaiah, Joseph and Garth waited restlessly by the east exit.

"Let's get going then, dudes!"

* * *

><p>The breeze was soft and a sweet relief from the heat of packed halls of JCH. It picked up strands of Kori's hair here and there, and she adjusted the strap of her backpack nervously. She was walking with her friends, and it felt absolutely glorious. They all had their extra bags with them, on Jen's orders, for the weekend sleepover they intended on having.<p>

"So," Kori began, shoving her hands into her jacket's pockets, "where exactly do we stay?"

"My dad is a psychopath, and he stays home all day," Raven said quickly.

"My sister's probably at home, entertaining her rotten friends," Kori said as well.

"My poor excuse for a house is barely small for _me_," Jen stressed, "let alone for seven of us."

Karen shifted uncomfortably. "My mom is hosting a dinner party tonight."

"My parents made it clear that they don't want anyone over, of any gender," Toni said grumpily.

"You know my dad," Rose said nervously. "He'd never pitch in. And he's the forsaken _principal_. If that won't make you uncomfortable, then..." Her voice trailed off and she let them fill in the blanks.

"My parents would never pitch in for a slumber party," Jade said, shrugging in apology.

All eyes turned to Kole, who was floundering for an excuse. "I- uh-"

She sighed, and relented. "Let's go to _my_ house..."

Kori hugged the petite girl. "We thank you for your selflessness."

Karen smiled kindly. "So, which way to your place?"

* * *

><p>Richard shifted his weight, waiting for the other line to pick up. His eyes darted to the piece of paper in his hands.<p>

"_Hello, Charlie's Pizza delivery,_" said a bored voice. "_How may we serve you?_"

The boy cleared his throat. "Um, hi. We'd like 3 cheese pizzas, 1 meat fiesta, 1 sardine and anchovies-" he shot a glare at Roy, who was snickering at Garth "-1 vegetarian special, 2 with all toppings, and 2 pepperoni."

He half-expected the guy to make some snide remark, but none came. "_Will that be all?_"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"_Okay... address, please?_"

"We're staying at Wayne Manor," Richard said a little proudly. _Now_ he expected the guy to remark.

"_O-kay... expect your order in 15 minutes._" The line went dead, and Richard raised his eyebrow. How could _anyone_ not be amazed at anyone staying at Wayne Manor? Even a small snort of disbelief would have satisfied Richard's ego, but...

He shrugged it off, facing the rest of the guys with a grin. "Pizza's on the way."

"'Bout time!" Vic yelled happily. He sat up straight from his earlier lounged position on Bruce's luxurious couch. Gar sat beside him, grinning and rubbing his stomach as a sign of anticipation.

They were staying in the living room, because as Richard so eloquently phrased, "Bruce is probably upstairs sleeping with his latest conquest - and you don't want to see _that._"

Joseph sat Indian-style next to Garth on the opposite settee, teaching him some sign language.

The boy started with two open hands, coming together to his chest in fists. He scrawled on a piece of paper to Garth, _that means 'accident'_.

Garth grinned. "Okay, let me try."

Roy fiddled around with the remote with too many buttons, changing the channel on Bruce's flat screen every two seconds. Isaiah sat beside him on the fluffy black carpet, watching and pointing out new buttons to press.

Wally ran back and forth - up the enormous staircase, all the way through the balcony, and down the _other_ enormous staircase, and up again. Richard wondered if he was sugar-high.

The speedster let out a happy cheer, sliding down this time. "Look ma! No hands!"

Most probably.

* * *

><p>Toni Monetti stepped into Kole's house for the first time, and her jaw nearly dropped. She considered the meek girl, and nodded, impressed. She was <em>rich<em>.

And that was saying something. Toni was, after all, heiress to the city's 4th most important financial advisor's empire.

Well, Kole was rich, technically, but not as rich as her-

The pale girl smacked her forehead. She was going bonkers, she knew it. Trying to prove herself _to herself_ was probably the first sign of insanity.

"Girl, you've been holding out on us," Karen mock-chided, slinging her arm around the girl. "You're living in a mansion and you're not even telling us."

Rose gave the girl a small smirk. "I thought your dad was a scientist?" Not that she didn't believe in the ability of people to go beyond their professions. Her dad was a _principal_, and he was well off.

"Y-Yeah," Kole began in a small voice, "but this isn't his house."

"Who's is it, then?" Kori asked, politely standing still and keeping her hands to herself. Her feet cried for her to explore a little and discover more about her friend, but she shut them up with her overwhelming desire to keep up appearances.

Kole shrugged, plopping her school bag and the tote bag filled with her overnight things onto the red couch. "My aunt's," she replied, her tone indicating that she didn't wish to pursue the topic further.

Jen took in the sight of the room wordlessly. The common room was four times the size of her own bedroom. Her dingy wooden fixtures were even less than nothing compared to the elegant furnishings in the room. One quick glance told you exactly the truth - the owner is _rich_. One look at her own apartment screamed that she was rock bottom poor. Suddenly, she felt ashamed - not as though she wasn't before - to go back home.

Raven also analyzed the room. She had to admit, she was impressed. The room was lovely. A model house. If not... a little empty. But then, Rachel wouldn't know the hearty feeling a room should be giving off. Her father took no pains to make their own house feel so.

Not a stray hair in sight, everything was neatly polished - Jade assumed they had maid service. She started labeling all the doors. Nearest to the window was a double door, which probably lead to a hallway. At the end was probably the kitchen. On the far right were two doors, and Jade knew that those were the staff's quarters.

One of those was coming out of the hallway, nodding slightly at Kole. Kole turned a bit red. "Um, William, you don't have to do that."

"I apologize, madam," the butler - William - said, nodding again. Kole sighed in defeat, and waved him off.

A third time, he nodded out of respect, and swerved around the potted plant towards Kole's bag. Kori watched him pick the bag up, retrace his steps, mechanically open a double door, and disappear into a hallway in fascination.

Kole glanced at the clock - she was a tad jittery, Jade noted - and smiled at the group of girls apologetically.

"Erm, make yourselves at home, guys," Kole said, inching towards a pair of French doors opposite the doors William had walked through earlier. "I'll be back in a few. I just... need to tell my guardian that you'll be staying over."

With that, she scampered into yet another hallway and the doors closed with a soft click.

* * *

><p>"<em>Pizza's here!<em>" Garth hollered, calling the attention of the four boys lounged in the living area and the one boy speeding around like a nut.

"Great," Richard said, appearing suddenly with a hundred dollar bill in his hand. "How much?"

Garth gestured to the teen standing at the door with a huge sack on his back.

"I smell _pizza_," Gar sang, inhaling the mouth-watering (well, it's an acquired taste) scent of his vegetarian special pizza.

The delivery boy grinned, and started unzipping his sack with _Charlie's Pizza _embroidered in dull colors. "The total comes to 83.75 dollars, plus tax." He glanced up at Richard, and added meekly, "Sir."

Richard dismissed it with a small wave. The guy handed him the 10 boxes and Richard in turn gave him the payment. "Kee-"

Isaiah grinned, clamped a hand on Richard's shoulder, and continued what his friend was trying to say. "Keep the change."

Gar gave a friendly wave and shut the door.

Isaiah grinned at Richard again, who was staring at him skeptically. "I've always wanted to say that."

Wally nodded in agreement. "Gives you a sense of power."

The speedster turned around to rush to Richard's enormous common room with the intention of scarfing down his pizza, but instead he let a yelp of surprise.

"Hey, Al!" Richard grinned at the old man, who smiled slightly. "What took ya so long?"

The manservant bowed a little. "My apologies, Master Dick. Master Bruce has kept me in his office, discussing about a recent spike in poison ivy around the tri-state area," he explained, staring pointedly at Richard. The boy frowned a bit, but smiled again.

"Guys, this is Alfred Pennyworth. He's the family manservant - heck, he's already a part of the family, right, Al?" Richard slung an arm around the old man. Alfred's smile grew even wider.

"I'm flattered, Master Dick." His eyes flickered from Richard's face to the pizza boxes he carried. "Shall I help you with those-"

"It's cool, Al," Richard said, smiling. "We're six metahumans here. We can carry a few pizzas a short distance."

Alfred allowed himself a small chuckle. "As you wish." With a final nod, he backed away and disappeared into the shadows.

"Creepy," Roy commented.

"Mysterious," Isaiah corrected.

"It's _Alfred_," Richard said, exasperated. "Now, let's get started on our guy's night in."

"You called it," Vic cheered, giving Richard a huge thumbs-up sign.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Eh. I've had this one stuck in my PC for weeks, uncompleted, and I just finished it a while ago...so I think this is a pretty mediocre job._

_Although I feel like I don't deserve it, review, please? They make me feel warm and they, as desperate as it sounds, but how true it is, motivate me to write because I know that I'm writing for even just one person. It gives me a kind of reassurance that I have an audience of ten thousand or ten or one, I don't care... I just want to write for someone. Really.  
><em>

_I'll try to post more chapters quicker... seriously... that can be my New Year's resolution...  
><em>


	11. And So It Begins

_A/N: Okay. Let's face it. I SUCK at time management. (My local library will vouch for that, I'm still paying off a very embarrassingly large overdue fee for books I never got around to returning...)_

_This chapter isn't particularly long but it's by no means short..._

_The real action starts next chapter, which I pray will be out only shortly after my birthday (February 14)..._

_DISCLAIMER: I don't own any book called or similarly named "1001 Ways to Creatively Disclaim a Franchise You Do Not Own", so... it's disclaimed. Deal with it._

* * *

><p>Jen surveyed her surroundings once more. The girls - okay, including herself - were buzzing around, changing into pajamas and night gowns and setting up the place for the 'ultimate sleep-over', as Karen had bluntly phrased it.<p>

"I brought the chips and soda!" Jade called out, stopping for a moment from rummaging through her bag.

"I brought the music!" Rose hollered, brandishing a small, pink music player. She popped in her own earphones and started browsing through the digital library.

"I brought the movies!" Toni announced, plopping a stack of DVDs on a nearby sofa.

"We have the make-up!" Kori and Raven called. Kori held a black pouch by the string, tips of brushes peeking out. Raven herself held tubes and sticks of cosmetic products.

Silence. Stares of disbelief. You get the gist of it.

Jen was the first to find her voice. "Raven... you..." she floundered for words. "...make-up?"

"The world's goin' ta end _soon_," Toni said with a shake of her head.

Raven shrugged. "It's once and only once." Her voice turned from nonchalant to serious. "Nothing leaves this room, agreed?"

The girls nodded hastily, and resumed the preparations.

"I brought the extra pillows!" Tara declared. Giggling, she threw them at Kori, who let out a muffled scream.

"Oh," Kori cried, barely stifling a laugh herself, as she wriggled out of the small mountain of pillows. "It's _on_!"

Kori swiftly grabbed a pillow and aimed for Tara, who was already scrambling to get away. She leaped on her friend - it didn't hurt to be able to fly - and...

...she started tickling her like crazy.

Tara's screams could easily have been misunderstood, but luckily there was no one to misunderstand.

Well, perhaps _William_, but...

Jade shrugged, and she tossed a pillow in Jen's face. The pillow glowed pink, and an explosion of feathers went flying everywhere. Jen and Jade shared a look, before erupting in laughter. Toni and Rose, who were also covered in feathers, soon joined in the peals of laughter.

Karen grinned, and she threw a pillow at Rose, who was busy trying to shake away her feathers.

Kole walked through the French doors hesitantly, before being greeted by a flying pillow.

Karen's eyes widened in shock, and she fluttered to the door. "Aw, hon', are you okay? I didn't mean to-"

In the background, the girls were roaring with laughter.

The girl threw them a mock-glare. "It's not like I _meant_ to do it!" she cried in defense. She turned back to the girl lying on the ground. "Does it hurt, Kole?"

Shakily, Kole stood up and gave Karen a disoriented thumbs-up sign. "S'kay, I'm okay...I'm not hurt." She massaged her forehead. "Although you neglected to ask where it hurts."

"W-Where?" Karen asked, grabbing Kole's arm to give support.

"In my dignity," she drawled, grinning slightly.

Jade tossed her a chocolate kiss which she thankfully caught. "I suppose it's nothing some chocolate can't fix?"

"And a good flick?" Toni added, waving a random DVD from her stack.

Kole blinked, and shrugged with a big grin. "No, I guess not."

* * *

><p>It's a vicious game. Friends will become enemies and enemies will be converted into friends. Some will stoop low and resort to trickery in order to succeed. With a precious prize at stake, this is no time for half-way measures.<p>

"Hey, Al," Richard called. "We'll be playing paintball for a while in the arena if you need us, okay?"

"Certainly, Master Richard," Alfred called back from presumably the kitchen area.

Isaiah let a low whistle escape his lips as he stepped inside the huge indoor arena in the basement of Wayne Manor. "Must be nice to be rich."

Joseph nodded in agreement. "_Mr. Wayne knows what he's doing with his life._"

"Okay!" Wally clapped his hands to call attention. "You have voted for I and Dickie-boy over there as leaders. He chose the blue team so I took the red team." He turned to Richard. "Chose your men wisely."

Richard crossed his arms. "Gar."

Wally met his gaze. "Vic."

"Roy."

"Isaiah."

"Joey."

Wally scowled. "Garth."

Garth frowned, walking over to the red team's side. Why was he always last? He could control the ocean! He was _prince _of the forsaken _sea_!

Richard rolled his eyes. "We'll _still_ kick your sorry butts out of this arena and to the pizza place to get our prizes."

"'nough talk," Vic interjected, raising blue and red colored cloths. "Take these and slap them on somewhere we can see 'em."

One by one, he tossed paintball guns to his companions.

Richard looked at Wally. "I say we play centerflag."

Wally shrugged. "Sounds good." Inside, he was already picturing victory. It would be a cinch to grab that flag-

Joseph tapped on his leader's shoulder, signing something. Richard nodded, unable to keep the smirk off his face. "Wally, Joseph and the others agree that there will be _no _powers."

The speedster's face fell. "B-But!"

"No powers," Richard repeated, stifling a triumphant laugh.

"Damn it, Dick, this is why we were granted these powers!" Wally protested. "For _paintball!_" At Richard's pointed stare, he frowned. "And the greater good."

"No powers."

Wally glared at him, before whistling, calling for a huddle. "Here's the plan, guys."

Each of his men - Vic, Isaiah and Garth - leaned in closer. "There are only a few of us so we're going to have to divide tasks equally."

"We're gonna start off with the slow wolf play." He glanced at Isaiah. "Cracker is our wolf; you'd better run to a safe spot - try it behind that artificial piece of greenery."

Next, he turned to Vic with a grin. "You're my man, Vic," he began, and he slung a shoulder around the boy. "We're gonna maneuver our way to the center, but we've got to stick together. This is a big arena-" Vic nodded. Some cities weren't as big as this space under Bruce's mansion. "-and our opponents have a couple of advantages. Minor setbacks."

Lastly, he turned to Garth. "You're the defense, you're our cover." He stared at Garth seriously, clamping a hand on his shoulder. "Good luck."

Garth scowled. "So I'm just a sacrificial offering?"

Wally turned, dismissing his statement with a wave of a hand.

* * *

><p>"So what do you guys want to do now?"<p>

Kole swung the door open to her bedroom, and stepped inside. She flopped onto her bed tiredly.

"Um..." she noticed the lack of noise. "Guys?"

"Your room is as big as my entire apartment," Jen said flatly.

"It's much larger than my own bedroom, that's for sure," Kori agreed.

"And, I hate to admit it, it's so beautiful," Raven conceded.

Kole flushed. "Guys, we've been through this. Let's just get this sleepover started, shall we?"

Karen grinned, striding over to Kole's bed. "The girl's right, y'all. Let's get this going on!"

The group looked at each other silently, then one by one, they broke out into grins.

Jen shook off her bedroom slippers and hopped on Kole's bed. "Alright," she began, clapping her hands for attention. "Toni, choose two movies for us."

"Right, chief," Toni said, using two fingers for a small salute.

"I was thinking that we could start this with a game," Jen said, smiling a little.

Tara shot up. "If you say anything remotely similar to Truth or Dare, I swear, I will wring your nec-"

Jen cut in quickly. "Hell no. I wanted to do-" she paused for dramatic effect "-Murder in the Dark!"

Murmurs broke out. Kori stared at Jen. "That sounds... ominous."

"Trust me, it's cool," Jen assured. "We need a deck of cards for this." She glanced at Kole.

"Er, I don't know, I don't _think_ we have any cards here..."

Jen looked at her flatly. "You have a 72-room mansion-"

"76," Kole corrected absently.

"-and you don't have a _deck of cards_?" Jen finished, her hands on her hips.

Kole shrugged. "It... never came up. We never needed cards."

Jade rummaged in her bag, and tossed a cardboard box to Jen. "Always knew that that would come in handy."

Jen regarded her skeptically, but raised a hand to catch the box. "Thanks."

Toni scooted over to Jade. "And since when 'ave you been carrying _that_, love?"

"It's a long story that I'd rather not tell," Jade said nonchalantly. "But it somehow involves quick-drying cement and a hole in a long-abandoned mansion."

The sorceress clapped her hands again. "Right. So we have the cards... um, I think we have to shuffle..."

"I'll do it," Rose said, smiling kindly.

"Wait," Jen said, frowning. "Er, I think I'm supposed to pick out some cards..."

The sorceress quickly flipped through the deck, picking out randomly one ace, one king, one jack, one queen and four number cards, the numbers 2, 6, another 2, and a 3. "Yep, I'm sure this time... this is how to play." She shifted in her sitting position. "So... please pick a random card," she declared, tossing the cards and leaving them to fall in disarray in the middle of the room. Hesitantly, each girl took their own card.

"The Ace is the murderer," Jen began, ticking off each one on her fingers, "the Jack is the detective, the King is the detective in case the Jack dies, and the Queen is detective in case _both_ the King and the Jack die. The number cards just walk around, and the only thing you have to worry about is..." she smiled in an unfathomable manner. "...if you're the Ace."

Toni and Kori, naturally being the most expressive, worriedly looked down to check their cards, but were wise enough not to make any further reaction.

Jen hopped off her place on the bed and walked over to the light switch. "So..." Her index finger hovered over the switch. "...shall we begin?"

The room was flooded with darkness.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Uwaa... no... no more brain power... I just typed this up around two hours ago... FORGIVE ME..._

_Er, as always (I see no reason to break tradition), please review! **Any suggestions and comments are welcome; tell me what YOU'd like to see happening to the MHSL gang!**_


	12. And the Madness Goes On

_A/N: **I LIVE!**  
>Yes, I totally got that from Mulan. No, I'm only a bit ashamed. A Girl Worth Fighting For is playing over and over in my head.<br>I'll Make A Man Out of You is a close second to songs I will rip my head over if they keep running through my head like this._

_Anyway, your next chapter, ladies and gentlemen! I think I got a bit carried away (over 4000 words this time)... ehehe... hehe... he... he? Friendship chapter with a tiny bit of romance if you tilt your head just right. Do I hafta tell you guys who it's between? Eh, you'll see anyway (= v =)  
>I APOLOGIZE IN ADVANCE FOR THE LAME GAME SCENES. I've never played paintball (I read as much as I could online, but that only gets me so far)... as a writer - oh no, here we go with the deep writer promises - I know I should be thorough and all, but bear with me for now? backs away slowly I promise I'll do it better next time...  
><strong>Guest reviews are answered at the bottom today ^^<strong>  
><em>

_DISCLAIMER: Nope. Don't own ANYTHING, as usual. Except a couple of knickknacks I blew all my money on (bad budgeting habits surface at this age in the summertime when there are no school supplies, lunch or random miscellaneous expenses that should have been part of the large tuition fee to be paid for with my cash) I own no giant commercial brand and I'm pretty sure you guys know that by now._

_3 days until _Teen Titans Go!_ airs! Are you guys as excited as I am? :D_

* * *

><p>"Stand up, and try not to bump into anything," Jen ordered, walking carefully away from the light switch.<p>

"Who's touching my grebnaks?"

"Oops, sorry, thought that was a pillow."

"Augh! Who placed the salsa here?"

Raven rolled her eyes, floating calmly above the mess on the floor.

"Oof! Whose elbow was that?"

"Oh, was that your stomach? I thought you were Tara."

"I'm over here!"

"Who's that?"

Kori helped Toni (or at least, she thought it was Toni; it was far too dark to be sure) who had somehow fallen on the floor in a mess of potato chips and nail polish, and together they flew to Raven's side.

"Me! I'm over here!"

"Okay, whoever the hell that is, stop pretending to be me!"

Jen rubbed her temples. "Be silent!" she bellowed, eyes flashing pink.

Kori smacked a hand to her forehead. "Of course!" With that, she lit up a starbolt.

"Much better. But later, no flashlights or superpowers," Jen said. "Now stand a bit apart from each other; there will be no sticking together in this game."

Jen began examining her nails, although she couldn't see anything in the darkness. Sometimes, really, reality had to give way to style. "Once everyone splits up, I hope you remember who the Ace is."

Someone let out a squeak, but it was too short for anyone to distinguish who it was.

"The Ace, or the murderer, as I will now call her, shall go around to look for victims - any of the cards, whether you're a King or Queen or lowly 3. When the murderer finds someone alone in the room - she doesn't need to know who it is because again, everyone is vulnerable - she brushes their shoulder quietly and whispers, 'you're dead'. The victim must fall on the floor," Jen made a sweeping gesture towards the ground which was barely visible in the faint green light, "without a sound and play dead for the rest of the game.

"Alternatively, the murderer can clamp a hand over the victim's mouth to prevent any noise, before whispering 'you're dead'. Either way the victim must be silent. Hey, if you're the murderer, take note that you're free to hide your victims, if you're in that sort of mood. It's not advisable, 'cause you get a higher chance of getting caught but if you pull it off, then good for you, because it makes it harder to find a victim and you can continue your killing spree."

Kole raised a hand. "What happens if we find a victim?"

Jen glared at her. "I was getting to that. Anyway, if you find someone standing alone and silent, you can go over and whisper to them, 'are you dead?'. They can only nod or shake their heads silently. If they happen to nod, immediately the player who found them screams, 'murder in the dark!'.

"Once that's done, all the living players assemble in the room where the victim was found. Players not present are noted dead. Lights are turned on and Miss Murderer can't kill anyone anymore. The detective - that's the king, take note - sits in a chair and interrogates all the living players. Ask questions, like, 'where were you when someone yelled Murder in the Dark?' or 'who do you think is the murderer?'. After gathering enough clues she has to turn to one person and ask one question."

Jen smirked, and everyone could see that. She was obviously pleased with the dark themes involved in this game. "Ask them, 'are you the murderer?'. Answer truthfully, yada yada. Yeah. Oh, and dead people aside from the one found can be hunted for by the living players once the lights have been turned on. If you like, the person who finds most can choose the movie for tonight or something."

Rose shifted her weight around, nervous. "Um, this is a 76-room mansion. This could take forever to do, and what if we don't find someone?"

Jen waved a hand dismissively. "Tough luck."

Raven stared at her oddly, and Jen relented. "Alright, alright, we'll limit the playing to the ground floor and the first floor."

"Didn't know you were British," Jade said with a grin.

"Never said I was," Jen said, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't know. Where I come from, we call it the first floor and the second floor."

Toni laughed. "C'mere, those are fighting words! If I could see past my nose in this darkness I'd come up with a comprehensive list of why you gotta respect the Brits and their lingo!"

Jade also laughed, her hand pressed to her forehead in mock horror. "No! Not a comprehensive list! Anything but that!"

Jen coughed, barely stifling a laugh herself. "...the game?"

The sorceress nodded at Kori, who let her green energy dissolve.

* * *

><p>Wally crept along carefully, keeping an eye out for the color blue.<p>

Once the spot was deemed clear, he motioned for Vic to follow his lead.

"W-What was that?" Vic whispered shakily.

"What was what?" Wally whispered back, peering into a tree trunk.

"Something was moving."

"Where?"

"In the bushes."

"Maybe it's just Cracker."

"Seriously, dude. We should go check it out."

"Chill, man. It was just Isaiah."

Vic rolled his human eye, and he cocked his paintball gun. "I'm checking it out."

"You're thinking too much," Wally muttered, brushing through a bit of foliage.

They heard a faint scream. "Man down!"

"Shoot. They got Garth," Vic said, hanging his head in respect. "He was a good man."

Wally hit Vic upside the head. "Save the mourning for later; if they got Garth, then that means-"

He was narrowly missed by a paintball. "Shoot, my aim must be getting rusty," Gar said, smirking.

"Won't miss this time," he added, pulling the trigger.

"I thought we were friends, Gar!" Wally called, running but being careful not to turn on the speed. "You were-" he hastily cocked his own gun "-my brother!"

"Nothing personal, dude," Gar said, glancing warily over his shoulder.

"Ow!" the changeling suddenly cried. Vic laughed.

"Good thing _my_ aim isn't rusty."

Gar cringed as he lay on the floor. He coughed. "See you in hell, guys. You're no match for-" he started into a coughing fit, and his head fell back on the ground.

Wally nodded at Vic. He held his fist up. "Thanks for saving my ass."

Vic nodded solemnly, returning the fist bump. "It's what I do."

They heard a rather nasty curse yelled. "That was Roy," Gar said helpfully.

Vic kicked him lightly in the side. "You're supposed to be dead."

Richard smirked. Target in sight. "Say goodbye, Rudolph," he muttered, eyeing his victim through bits of leaves in a rather large bush. He shifted in position, and his knee brushed against something.

"Ahh!"

They screamed at the same time. Isaiah cursed inwardly. Panicking, he fired the gun. Richard instinctively got up and delivered a swift kick, but he was too late.

Isaiah cheered. It had hit its mark. "Right in the bread basket!"

"This isn't over," Richard vowed, before falling to the ground.

"Oh, but I think it is," Isaiah said with a smirk. He rolled Richard's body over and moved in position. Three down and one to go.

Wally tugged Vic's arm. "We gotta keep moving."

"Booyah! Flag in sight," Vic cheered, pointing at the white flag planted in the middle of the road. "Just a bit mo-"

Vic fell to the ground, frothing at the mouth. Wally looked down at him in horror. "Vic! Vic! Talk to me! Vic!" He fell to his knees, howling.

He waved his fist in the air. "I will avenge you, Vic!"

* * *

><p>"Okay, let's play this ga-"<p>

Jen cut off, and she scrunched up her face. Kori formed another starbolt, in fear that something had happened to Jen.

"What's wrong?" Karen asked.

Jen waved a hand dismissively. "It's nothing. Just my 'stupid boy' senses tingling. Wally's probably doing something very, very stupid."

Tara smirked. "And why exactly do you have Wally senses?"

"Stupid boy senses," Jen corrected, face flush. "Not just Wally."

"Then why did you assume it was Wally?" Kori asked innocently, a huge grin on her face as well. Raven glanced at her. Wasn't Wally her...?

"Let's just play the damn game," Jen muttered, and everyone laughed.

Kori let the energy dissolve again, and finally the room was devoured by total silence.

Karen crept along the wall, feeling ahead of her for any objects prone to noise. She pressed her hands against the cold surface of what she assumed to be a door, patted it and found the knob. She carefully opened it, and slipped inside.

"Ack!"

A distinctly female voice yelped, and Karen nearly hit the ceiling in surprise.

"Are you d-dead?" Karen asked.

The woman glared at her. "Most certainly not. Although I must ask why you are in the staff's quarters during our resting hour."

Karen blushed, although it was not visible in the darkness. "Sorry," she murmured, before making a hasty exit.

Jen moved stealthily. Darkness was her element. She let a small grin appear on her face. She'd be damned if she let herself get caught. Her catlike eyes widened to let in more light, and she found the door leading to the main hall.

Her silhouette moved quickly, barely visible by the moonlight. She had to find a good hiding place to sit out the game in.

Kori, on the other hand, floated along carefully. She wasn't quite sure what she was supposed to do, and frankly, she didn't care if she won or not. Although the prospect of dying, albeit figuratively, seemed frightening.

She fought to scream as a hand clamped over her mouth. "You're dead," the murderer whispered, and Kori sighed in defeat. What a drag. Now she had to wait until someone found her.

Her green eyes swept over her surroundings and she realized she had made it up a staircase to somewhere around the first floor.

...this was going to be a long wait.

Rose was nervous. Very, very nervous. She tiptoed across a hallway to the left of the common room - or was it the right? She wasn't sure anymore. Oh, dear.

But if she was lost, then the murderer couldn't get her. Right?

Right, she confirmed to herself. She was not going to die tonight.

She stumbled across a set of stairs. Maybe it was a safe idea to go up?

Toni wasn't going to admit it, but she was scared out of her wits. So scared, in fact, that she'd slipped on a power inhibitor bracelet her mother had given her before she set off to Jump City; in fear that if someone startled her she would greet them with a fist of plasma, albeit involuntarily.

She sighed. She did miss her mumsy. Winter break was coming up soon, though, and she perked up at the thought of going out of town for a couple of days to see mum in New Zealand.

A hand clamped over her mouth and she felt her heart skip a beat in shock.

"You're dead," the murderer said simply, before scampering off to find a new victim. Toni inwardly cursed. She was glad that she wore the inhibitor now.

Kole smirked uncharacteristically. This game would be easy. She knew this house like the back of her hand, and it would be a cinch to retreat in one of the guest rooms.

Although... the darkness made it a bit trickier... but nonetheless Kole believed she had the advantage. She expertly maneuvered through corridors and random doors before finding herself in her aunt's master bedroom. Auntie had gone out to a small party immediately after Kole told her about her friends staying over. Kole rolled her eyes at the thought as she laid on the bed, under the covers, and perfectly still. Fine. She wouldn't miss her aunt too much, anyway.

She sighed, and waited for someone to yell 'murder in the dark!' already.

"Are you dead?" Tara asked warily.

She had been walking around aimlessly in the east wing when she came across someone standing perfectly still. So she did the logical thing and jumped at the chance to win this game.

To her surprise the girl shook her head, and suddenly clamped a hand over her mouth. "No, but you are." The girl grinned with teeth that could be seen even in the dark. "You're dead."

Tara swore. That was cheap.

But... she probably would have done the same thing.

* * *

><p>Wally was aware that Cracker was following him through the foliage. He appreciated the backup. It had been a wise move to use the Slow Wolf play.<p>

His index finger hovered over the trigger of his paintball gun. When Joey showed himself - and he was sure that he would - boy, would he be in for a surprise!

He was so painfully close to the flag. A few more steps and-

The unmistakable sound of a gun cocking was heard, and Wally gulped. Where was he?

Perhaps he was in one of the trees? Underground? Right behind him, maybe?

Wally had successfully scared himself, and he turned around, ready to elbow the mute boy in the face.

When he turned around and saw nothing, he sighed in relief. He turned back to face the flag and his victory.

He did not expect to see Joseph standing there all friendly-like, waving at him even.

"Arg!" he yelled in surprise. He scrambled to pull the trigger, but too late. Joey had pulled a fast one and hit him right in the thigh. He moaned in pain, coughing for good measure.

"Cracker... you're... our last hope," he choked out, before having a spasm, then finally laying dead on the ground.

Joseph chuckled silently at the display. He blindly reached for the flag, but was surprised that his hand came in contact with nothing but air. He frowned.

The boy turned around and to his relief, he was just a bit off in aim.

He yelped in surprise as he was tackled by a slightly warm Isaiah. "Screw the system!" he cried, rolling on the floor with Joey. He suddenly scrambled to reach the flag.

Joey laughed and pulled on the pyrokinetic's leg, back to his spot, before moving to grab the flag himself. "No!" Isaiah howled, before tackling Joey again. He successfully pinned the shorter boy down, and, muttering a 'nothing personal', he plucked the flag out of the ground.

"Game's over, boys," he called out happily. Joey grinned widely.

'Good game', he signed.

Isaiah raised a hand. Joseph understood and shared a quick high-five.

"Fraternizing with the enemy," Gar said, shaking his head in disappointment, having already recovered from his earlier death.

"Just 'cause you're acting friendly doesn't mean you're worming out of giving the red team our rightful prize," Wally called from his spot on the ground, and Vic kicked him in the side.

"He's just kidding," Vic said to Joseph, who nodded in understanding.

Richard sighed. "Guess you won fair and square."

"Booyah! No tofu pizza tonight! I'm ordering the meat fiesta!" Vic cheered, pumping his fist in the air.

Gar looked at him, horror stricken. "So this was your incentive to win? To deprive me of my tofu and to brutally eat innocent animals?"

Isaiah rolled his eyes. "Whatever conspiracy theory you come up with, Gar, it won't matter 'cause you're still chipping in to buy the four of us pizza." They laughed at Gar's indignant expression.

"I'm glad that my early death wasn't in vain," Garth joked, sparing a sideways glance at Isaiah, who also chuckled.

"Now," Richard began, already heading for the exit, "let's go upstairs and get us that pizza."

"'Us'?" Gar asked hopefully.

Richard rolled his eyes and chuckled. "Yes, 'us'. If we're going to be ordering pizza might as well include ourselves." At Gar's happy expression, Richard smirked. "That's 'cause you're paying."

Immediately the changeling was crestfallen. "What? What happened to chipping in?"

"It came and went with the wind," Roy put in.

"Hope you brought your wallet, grass stain, 'cause we're gonna be ordering two pizzas each!" Vic declared.

"You guys are mean," Gar moaned, suddenly not in a hurry to get up to Bruce's main house.

"We may be mean now but in a few minutes we'll be mean on a full stomach," Richard said, grinning.

* * *

><p>Rose sighed. Now, she admitted, she was seriously, hopelessly lost in Kole's mansion. She kept walking up the hallway of the second floor until she spotted a turn-off.<p>

She was very surprised to see someone standing there silently.

"A-Are you dead?" Rose whispered from a good distance.

The figure nodded her head violently, apparently desperate to end the game.

"Oh!" Rose exclaimed happily, clasping her hands. She did it! She would win this thing!

The girl in front of her glared at her.

"Oh, right. Hehe."

Rose stopped for a moment to prepare her voice. They were on the second floor, after all.

"MURDER IN THE DARK!" she shrieked with all her might. Her voice continued to echo down the hallway. Rose rubbed her throat. Never again was she going to do that.

"Didn't know you had it in you to scream like that, Rose," a voice that was distinctly Kori's said good-naturedly. She even made a show of rubbing her ears and Rose laughed, turning a bit red.

Rose extended her hand. "Let's go down."

Kori shook her head. "Someone should stay here so everyone knows where to go. Do you remember the path you took here?"

"Um, no..." Rose said shyly, and Kori giggled.

"No matter. Just take note... this one looks like a guest room. Go look for Jen and the others and tell them to meet you in the east wing of the second floor and look for me in one of the guest rooms. I'll be fine," Kori said with a reassuring grin on her face.

"What about me?" Rose protested before being pushed out of the room by Kori.

The door was promptly slammed shut, and Rose sighed. She got into gear and ran down the hallway, turning around again, and going straight until she saw a staircase she could use.

"...guys?" Rose called out, hesitant. Why hadn't they come up yet? Was her screaming not loud enough?

"Where's the murderer?" a forceful voice demanded. In the background she could hear police sirens wailing and a crowd of people in night robes started to gather around the house.

Rose groaned. People were far too gullible.

"Rose! Where's Kori?" Jen hissed from a doorway.

Rose, still surprised and not trusting her mouth to speak, used a finger to point up.

"Oh, okay... we'll go for her later. Come in," Jen said, side-stepping and gesturing to the room where most of the girls were gathered.

Rose nodded in thanks, and the door was closed.

"So," she began once she reached the other side, "what's going on?"

"What does it look like, love?" Toni said a bit sarcastically. "Kole's house is surrounded by cops who think there's been an actual murder in the dark."

"Kole is outside doing damage control," Jade cut in before Rose could ask anything.

"The game is off," Jen said.

Karen rolled her eyes. "That goes without saying. This was a bust," she said a tad sadly. Toni suddenly stood up.

"Hey, hey, we won't have any of that! We got two nights and two days left! We are going to enjoy this smoko and we're going to participate in the greatest slumber party in the very long list of slumber parties!"

"What is it with you and lists?" Jade said, laughing in between words.

Toni playfully chucked a pillow at her. "I happen to like lists."

* * *

><p>"Hello?"<p>

"Hello, Charl- oh, hey, it's you guys again," the boy on the phone said dryly. "Same as last time?"

Richard chuckled nervously. He wasn't sure if it was a good thing that the pizza guy knew them. "Yeah, same as last time."

"Same address?"

"Same address."

"Okay," the boy said shortly. "Your order will be there in fifteen minutes and all that crap. I- wait a minute."

There was a faint buzzing on the other line. A louder buzzing. Then there was a click as the pizza guy picked up the phone again.

"Boss man's asking if you want some coupons or something," the pizza guy explained.

Richard blinked. "Um, no thanks?"

"Alright," he replied. "Change for 100 bucks again?"

"Exact amount," Richard said absently.

"Sure thing."

Click.

Richard gently placed the phone back in the cradle and turned to Gar. "Okay, you've got fifteen minutes to scrape up enough cash to pay for our pizzas."

"Do you think it's too late to run home and beg Rita for money?"

Richard rolled his eyes. "I don't care what you do, as long as you fork over the $83.75, Gar."

Green eyes flickered to Richard's pocket. "You don't care?"

"I don't care," Richard repeated.

"So..." the changeling stretched the word, "...you won't care even if I do... this?"

Without warning his hand shot out and grabbed Richard's wallet. He morphed into a cheetah and began to make a dash for it.

"Hurrk!" He returned to human form, lying on the floor.

Richard rolled his eyes and plucked the wallet from Gar's hand, tucking it back in the back pocket. "Sorry, did I forget to tell you that I keep my wallet on a stainless steel chain?"

Gar glared at him. "You forgot."

"Ten minutes!" Wally called from the living room couch.

"Crap," Gar muttered. He loudened his voice and stood up. "Does anyone have eighty-one dollars here?"

"What happened to the two dollars and seventy-five cents?" Garth asked skeptically.

"I got that covered," Gar said with a grin.

Roy rolled his eyes. "Whoopee. Add another dollar and you can go buy yourself a friend," he said sarcastically. Garth hit him upside the head.

"Be polite."

The archer stuck his tongue out defiantly.

Luckily for him Gar was too preoccupied to notice.

"Oh man, oh man, oh man," Gar chanted, pacing around Bruce's plush carpet that was starting to have permanent foot-sized indents. "What am I gonna do? You guys are assholes. We're a team and you're making me pay!"

"You died first," Roy said flatly.

"And I pick up the tab all the time," Richard said in his defense.

"But that's 'cause we love you _and_ the considerably bigger allowance Bruce gives you every week!" Gar said, giving him his best look of pure innocence. For good measure, he turned into a small, fluffy kitten. "Meowr meow meowrr, rowl!"

Richard averted his eyes. "Oh no no no no, you're not doing that to me again!"

Gar persisted and didn't stop his look.

"No way, Gar."

He started licking his paw, still keeping his eyes wide and open.

"..."

"Meow meow."

"...damn you and your kitten form."

"Meow meowrr meow!" Gar purred happily, hopping on the couch and returning to human form.

Richard sighed and grabbed a hundred dollar bill from his wallet. "The friends I keep..."

"You know you love us," Wally chimed, wiggling his eyebrows and grinning.

The boy wonder rolled his eyes and headed for the door. "If you say so."

"Hey, where are you going?"

"To get the pizza," Richard answered calmly.

"But the guy hasn't rung the bell ye-"

_Ding dong!_

"Your detective skills are creepy," Isaiah commented.

Richard shrugged and opened the door. "Hey."

"Um, hello sir!" the pizza guy from earlier in the night said. "Your usual order - three cheese pizzas, one meat fiesta, one veggie special, one sardine and anchovies, two pepperoni and two all toppings!"

'Not to be rude, but two times is a bit too early to be calling it our usual,' Joseph signed. The pizza guy stared at him, obviously not well-versed in sign language. Garth waved it off and smiled kindly.

"Thanks for delivering," he said, taking the ten boxes from the guy.

"Change for a hundred dollars," he muttered, fishing around for coins. "Gee, sir, you said you'd give the exact amount."

Richard blinked. "I did?"

The pizza guy nodded.

"Oh. Er, um... let me check..."

"I got the two dollars and seventy five cents!" Gar called.

Vic rolled his eyes. "Real helpful."

Richard checked his wallet for any bills smaller than one hundred. "Um..."

"Rich people," Wally said, shaking his head in mock-disappointment. Richard glared.

"I got thirty," Isaiah said hesitantly.

"I can cover the fifty," Roy relented.

"Oh! I have an extra dollar!" Gar exclaimed happily.

Richard smiled at them and handed the money to the delivery boy. "Thanks!"

"Okay... have a nice night, sir!" the boy said politely before turning on his heel to drive back to their store.

"Well, since Gar ripped us off of eighty dollars..." Roy began, folding his arms.

"...we might as well have some fun," Isaiah said with a glint in his eyes.

"Uh oh," were the last words Gar uttered before promptly being carried away to who-knows-where.

* * *

><p>"Guys? Are you sure we can't talk about this?"<p>

Gar was walking down a long set of stairs in the dim light offered by the flickering lamps hanging overhead and he was nervous, to say the least. This was the standard setting for dungeons, interrogation rooms and parking lots, although he wasn't too frightened at the concept of staying in an interrogation room.

The stairs were seriously long - they had passed the door leading into Bruce's indoor paintball arena and Gar still couldn't see the end. He had asked earlier how far down the manor goes (for all he knew, it went straight down to the core of the earth) but Richard was too busy whispering with Wally to notice; probably thinking up the easiest way to wring 80 dollars out of him.

"What is there to talk about?" Isaiah called from the front of the group, and Gar could hear the smirk in his voice.

"Well, you could start talking and tell me where we're going."

"No need; we're already here."

Isaiah pushed open a wooden door and he involuntarily cringed. He stepped aside and let Richard go in first.

"Oh no you don't!" Gar cried as soon as the door closed and he got the chance to observe his surroundings. "I'm too young and beautiful to die by drowning!"

"Just sayin' that should earn ya a death sentence," Vic muttered, pushing the green boy along. He spoke louder this time. "Don't be chicken. We won't try to drown ya or anythin'."

"It's just a swimming pool," Roy said with a roll of his eyes. With a swift yank, he pulled off his shirt and jumped into the water to illustrate. "It won't bite ya!"

"That's what _you_ think!" Gar called back, glancing warily around him.

"Okay, _what_ are the cheesy horror sci-fi movies you've been watching?" Richard asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically.

"Jaws," Gar mumbled, but loud enough for Richard to pick up on it. He burst out laughing.

"_Jaws?_" he repeated in between his laughs. "You got scared of the water because of _Jaws_?"

"Dude, don't knock it! Jaws is pretty creepy!"

"Maybe if I were ten! Jaws is a good movie but not good enough to make you pee your pants every time you see water!" Richard scoffed. He folded his arms. "What else?"

Gar could feel the tips of his pointed ears growing warm. "The Creature from the Black Lagoon."

Richard's laughs grew louder, and soon Wally and Roy were joining him. Joseph was smiling and even Garth and Isaiah were chuckling. Vic just groaned and shook his head in disappointment. "I thought my best friend would have more guts than that."

"Yeah," Wally piped in. "Maybe if you watched Dagon or Ringu or something, we'd respect you more. But _Jaws_?" he asked, and the rounds of laughter began again.

"Shut _up!_" Gar cried, face red. Joseph chuckled silently. He thought green and red to be an interesting combination.

The changeling took a running tackle towards a doubled-over Wally and they went flying into the pool.

There was a loud _splash!_ and the boys stopped laughing. Garth shed his pants and top quickly, revealing a pair of swimming shorts.

Roy rolled his eyes. "Figures that swim boy would be prepared." Garth looked ready to jump in and save the two, but Roy shook his head at him.

"They'll be fine. This part isn't even deep enou-" he trailed off, eyes widening.

"Exactly," Garth muttered, checking for any limp bodies beneath the water. And he jumped in.

The silence was heavy. The boys waited anxiously for a bit more to decide if they should go after the three.

Suddenly there was a loud splash again, and Wally and Gar popped up, shaking their heads like dogs.

"That was _wicked awesome!_" Wally cried, grinning widely. He shared a quick high five with Gar.

"I know, dude!" Gar exclaimed, also grinning from ear to ear.

Garth followed soon after, shaking his head. "You guys had us worried."

"Pff. As if," Gar said, climbing out of the pool.

"We're too cool to have our gravestones read, _killed by a flying tackle into the pool of our insanely rich friend's mansion_," Wally added, rolling his eyes coolly.

Richard mock-pouted. "What, just a friend? Why not best friend?"

Wally laughed and punched him in the shoulder. "I'm speaking for me and Gar. And Gar's best friend is Vic. They share an unbreakable bromance."

"That they do," Richard said, nodding in agreement.

* * *

><p><em>AN: There's more to this but I thought, for consistency's sake, I'd cut it off here. Because you guys might get bored (I don't want to torture you with this kind of writing ; A ;) if I keep going until the very end of this night._

_Oh, yes. There's another day where I'll get to squeeze in my romance. (Or at least more than that indirect Wally/Jen fluff that you can see if you squint. I'm gonna have_ FUN_ with the next chapter. SPOILERS FOR YOU AAAAALLLLLL.__)_

_I'm gonna ask again: **if you have suggestions, comments, violent reactions about what's happening and things you think should be happening and most importantly, THINGS YOU WANT TO SEE HAPPENING TO THE MHSL GANG, don't hesitate to send me them via review or PM! Go ahead!**_

_Many thanks to Serena M00n for the suggestion. Hehe. We'll get to see Tara's amazing persuasive techniques in action soon :D_

_**GUEST REVIEWS, ANSWERED (FINALLY):**  
><span>Guest (chapter 11): MUAHAHAHA! You're a bit warm (just a bit) but there's something else to the reason behind their get-together. I've finally made an outline for this and I know now how to clean up the romantic loose ends (hooray for rainy days when I have nothing to do but this xD ; v ;) Thanks for reviewing! And thank you! I'm glad you think the last chapter was great :3  
><em>

_Guest (Sofia - chapter 4): /hangs head in shame FORGIVE ME! I'm not Spanish at all ; A ;)/ TEACH ME MASTER!  
>Hihihi. Well you're lucky to be fluent in Spanish and at least you know your English. :)<em>

_Guest (Sofia - chapter 2): DON'T SHOOT! Don't worry, I'm RobStar all the way! We'll be breaking Tara and Dick u- whoops! SPOILERS! MUAHAHAH! /runs off like a maniac_

_Is that all? If I forget someone please don't hesitate to tell me... this is the kind of stuff that goes on at 3:57 in the morning... /collapses into a heap  
><em>

_And as always, please review! :)_


End file.
